In Pursuit of Dreams: The Story of an Incredible Journey
by xEternalHamnationx
Summary: Set in the canon One Piece universe, this tale follows a young woman by the name of Orrosta Avery, who is of a powerful position in the Marines; the opposing force against Pirates. What will happen when this girl with a perfect pirate capture record comes head to head with the infamous Straw Hat Pirates? Is justice really her ultimate freedom that she wishes for?
1. Enter Avery! War Against The Straw Hats?

**Writer's Notes:** I do not own any of One Piece, and am merely showing my appreciation for the amazing story! Now, enjoy!

* * *

><p>"Vice-Admiral, we are currently approaching the target at the desired speed. Estimated time of storming the pirate ship is less than five minutes."<p>

The words of one of her subordinates brought the snowy-haired female back to her senses, and she turned to face the Marine officer currently saluting her and awaiting an answer. Sometimes she became lost in her own thoughts, and all of a sudden, she was no longer on this ship belonging to the Marines, she was transported back to the times she spent growing up on Elbaf. A small sigh left her lips and she nodded, straightening up ever so slightly and waving a hand to dismiss the Marine standing before her.

"In that case, prepare for boarding and bringing down one of the largest thorns in our side at present. We will succeed!" She never had been too good at spurring speeches, but this one seemed to kick her crew into action. They all saluted her upon hearing her raised voice, and rushed to their respective stations to prepare the ship for combat. Not too far in the distance, she could see it; the unique pirate ship that anyone would recognise if ever they cast their eyes upon it. She could just about see the figurehead at the front, the many pointed sides of lion's mane, surrounding the seemingly gleeful lion's head. Down its sides, she could spot the cannons and the anchor, plus one of the strange compartments that the ship seemed to have, labelled with a large number '1'. According to files, quite the skilled shipwright had designed and built the ship, as well as maintaining it. No wonder it looked so magnificent on the sea. _'But, nevertheless, it is a pirate ship…'_ She thought to herself, eyes narrowing on their target which they were quickly approaching at speed.

"Ready the cannons!" Her voice was somehow impossibly loud, in spite of her huge lack in stature, and it resonated around the whole Marine ship.

"Hai*, Avery-sama!" Her crew echoed back at her, before the cannons started to clunk loudly, aiming and preparing to fire at her command. They were still slightly far away for her liking, but soon they would be in range. Her left arm was raised up to the side, her one crimson orb slowly narrowing as she judged the distance between them and their target. _'Just a little bit further…' _She thought, her mouth slowly parting as she waited for the opportune moment to strike.

"Fire!"

Her bellow echoed menacingly, giving every Marine present the chance to hear her command before those designated loaded up the cannons and shot the cannon balls with deadly accuracy towards their target. At this point, they were already gaining on the ship, and were quick to continue firing off cannonballs to keep their targets occupied. After all, they were probably complacent following their get-away from the World Government. But they had not escaped the clutches of Vice-Admiral Orrosta "Ivory Heart" Avery.

"Prepare yourselves for a hard fight! We all know what this crew are capable of! They've now been given sufficient time to rest and recover, so they should be approaching their full fighting capacities again! Do not let your guards down when facing any crew member!" Her warning was loud and authoritative while her crew were scrambling to equip themselves with their blades and guns, and before long, the Captains she had working underneath her emerged from below deck, each one standing near her in some way.

"Bahahaha! Avery-sama** is cheery as always." A tall man wearing a full black jumpsuit commented, brandishing his heavy hand cannon over his left shoulder while smirking his characteristic smirk at his smaller superior.

"Hush, Herman-san***. Do you really think that now is a good time to provoke her?" An older male chastised his companion, waving his hands in a placating gesture to try and dissipate the situation. But the Vice-Admiral was paying no mind while her Captains were having their own banter and the like. Her eyes were solely focused on the prize ahead of them. The man named Herman clicked his tongue against his cheek in a 'tutting' sound and rolled his eyes, his posture slouching slightly as if he had been deflated.

"Ugh, Sander, you're no fun." It was an amusing sight to see a grown man pout, and Herman did so rather often. It seemed at times that he was still living life as a child, while his fellow Captains were at least somewhat capable of living life in adulthood. Sander sighed softly and started to fidget, as he often did, tapping his foot on the deck of the ship and fumbling with his hands. The habit often irritated the Vice-Admiral who headed their Marine division, and as such he was pleased to see that she wasn't paying any attention to them. He ran a hand through his short brown locks, making numerous huffing sounds impatiently. At his other side, a silent hulk of a man was staring boredly with his glassy green eyes at the sea ahead of them. Of course, he was always quiet. Stories were told of how the infamous Captain, named Dredak, had his tongue cut out of his mouth as punishment to himself for sloppy training as a young teen. Of course, it would always remain a mystery of how the event actually unfolded, because the man himself could not share the story.

"You idiots better be prepared for a tough time against these pirates. If you slip up, it will be on your heads, and not mine." Their boss stated, her voice dry and sharp as she warned them of what could happen if they failed in their task. She did not even have to say it aloud for them to all know what she was insinuating, and a slightly audible gulp could be heard from Sander's throat while he mulled that fact over in his head. Avery was not a young woman who took failure with a shrug and inspiring words of how they would achieve their goal next time. Oh no. She was one to lash out and blame those around her, because of course, it would be their fault and not hers. In all honesty, the chances of her slipping up in anything were next to nothing.

"Hai, ma'am." Her Captains affirmed that they understood what she meant, and fell into silence while they anticipated the upcoming struggle. Their ship was gaining on the target very quickly, and they would soon be upon them in order to grapple to the side and storm the pirate ship.

"Avery-sama, approximate landing time is less than two minutes!" One of the Marine soldiers shouted from the crow's nest up above their master sail.

"Oi, Dredak, you better use that scary sword of yours properly. We don't want to suffer the wrath of our big boss here."

"Herman-san, stop provoking things without reason!"

"Sander, you idiot, I can do whatever I want! I don't even know how you're a Captain, weakling!"

"T-Take that back!"

"Weakling, weakling, Sander's a stupid weakling!"

All they needed as a prompt for them to stop their bickering was a very cold glare from the Vice-Admiral, and they fell into silence once more. Sometimes she wondered why she put up with Herman and Sander especially, because they always seemed to find things to argue about even in pivotal situations. But it went without saying that they were two of the most well-trained Captains that the Marines had. Dredak was hardly a problem, because he couldn't talk and make the situation flare up further, and he was skilled in such proficiency with his broadsword that he was rumoured to have been able to slice ships in half. Such a thing was surely an over-exaggeration, but his swordsmanship was indeed something to behold. As for Herman, he was a very skilled marksman and was able to use almost all ranged weapons as if he had been trained perfectly in every one of them. His preferred weapon was of course his trusty hand cannon; a huge great hulking thing, but extremely powerful and able to really pack a punch. He was a bit of a livewire in battle, however, and that was always a worry for the young woman in charge of him. Sander was a lot more reliable, and consistent. He was a Devil Fruit eater, which meant that he always had to be watched, near enough, but he was well-trained enough to avoid being put into situations where he could fall overboard. As a child, he ate the Moku Moku no Mi****, and became a Wood Man. His whole body became as hard and sturdy as a tree itself, and gives it extremely useful properties. If his body becomes punctured, sap leaks from the wound and heals him quickly. He is able to deal harsh, hard and heavy blows, due to his body being made entirely out of wood.

In summary, including herself, this Marine division had an extremely deadly fighting force at its disposal. And even the normal soldiers were better trained than normal, because of Avery's harsh training routines pressed upon them to condition their bodies and fighting skills far more than the average regime.

The four spearheads that would lead the battle to come were stood at the port side of the ship, which was the side which they were using to draw up next to their targets. The white-haired young woman stood ahead of the Captains she had hand-picked for her division, with her arms folded and her expression indifferent as per usual, with her only visible crimson eye narrowed at their approaching target.

"Launch the grappling hooks onto their boat! They aren't going to get away!" She shouted, seemingly not paying any attention as six crewmen lined up alongside her to fire the jet-pressured grappling hooks at the pirate ship's side itself as they approached. They were easily within reach of using these handy tools, and Avery was definitely not taking any chances when it came to these pirates in particular. The grappling hooks were launched, and all of them met their target, scraping across the opposing ship's deck, before pulling back and latching onto the railings of the starboard side. The origin of the grappling hooks were secured to special iron hooks embedded into each side of the Marine ship, to keep a good hold of their target, to make sure they could not go anywhere. The force of the hooks pulling brought the pirate ship towards them, until it was exactly alongside their own ship.

Avery glared down at the deck of pirate ship while her entire division amassed behind her and the Captains.

"Aw, damn! The Marines caught up with us!"

"They were so fast after their cannon-fire!"

"Oi, everyone! Get to the deck!"

The voices of the scrambling pirates could be heard loud and clear as they all started to assemble on the main deck of their ship, aiming to intercept the incoming attack upon them. They were disorganised, and it meant that Avery and her division had an assured victory. She could see it now. _'I never saw what the issue with these pirates was. They seem like utter buffoons to me… hardly organised even though they're about to get stormed by an entire Marine division.' _She thought, her only visible eye rolling as she shook her head. Slowly and deliberately, she raised her left leg and slammed it loudly against the railing of her own ship, pushing herself up to stand and look down on the pirate ship, and its slowly assembling crew. Her long snow white locks swayed and sprawled in all directions as blissful silence enveloped both Marines and pirates simultaneously at her forceful elevation to look down at her enemies.

"I hope you realise that this is far from a joke." Her voice was loud and projected, seeming to echo across the space with the utmost clarity and power. It all seemed rather strange when one considered her considerable lack in height when compared to everyone else in her division, and obviously compared to the pirates too. "It is my duty to arrest you, as you have violated the first law of our land. You have all declared war against the World Government itself. I assure you, that this was not a smart decision. Due to many other failures in apprehending you, I have come to complete the job myself, with my elite Division 38." Her long white Vice-Admiral jacket flapped noisily in the growing wind, the kanji on the back seeming to ripple in its spelling of 'Justice'. It was any wonder that it did not fly off, due to being perched rather precariously on her shoulders, as opposed to being worn.

By this point, every pirate on the crew they were about to apprehend had assembled on the deck of their ship in a staggered line of sorts. They all looked up at her, some with an expression of worry and concern, others with irritating arrogance, and others with the same look of underestimation that Avery was so used to by this point. Being so small and child-like in her appearance often led to others looking down on her, and not taking her seriously. But that was their mistake, as they would soon find out.

"I, Orrosta Avery, place you under arrest… Straw Hat Pirates! Your journey of piracy ends here!"

* * *

><p>* - Japanese for 'yes', a common term to show that an order or command is understood. It can be used to say 'Yes sir', in the correct context.<p>

** - The suffix of 'sama' is a respectful one, to refer to someone of a higher status than yourself.

*** - The suffix of 'san' is also respectful, and roughly translates to saying 'Miss' or 'Mister'. As we know, the Japanese speak backwards, in a way, so the suffix (when translated to English) becomes a prefix in some ways.

**** - The Moku Moku no Mi is a Devil Fruit of my own creation, and is not cannon.

* * *

><p><strong>The Writer's Notes:<strong> Hello to everyone who read this introductory chapter of my first fanfic I've written here! You can call me Eternal, the Author! First and foremost, thank you very much for giving this fanfic a chance out of all the others available. It means a lot to me that you found the story intriguing enough to read it and see what it was about. As you can probably tell, it is rather different to most One Piece fanfics. It was an idea I had that slowly bloomed into a whole tale on its own. For this fanfic, I will be using an OC that I created, you know, Avery-sama, to tell the story of what happens from the point after the Enies Lobby Arc. It is a mixture of an OC and adjusted canon story, that you will hopefully enjoy as the plot thickens! What this means is, I'll be following the canon storyline, but will be adding and embellishing things of my own creation into the mixture. As such, there will be some inconsistencies with the actual canon story, but they will make sense with the OC content. In my notes at the end of each chapter, I will be including nice little tidbits of information and small character profiles to give more flesh and details to the OC characters I will add into the fanfic. For the introductory chapter, it seems only right to give a brief insight into the mysterious white-haired girl, correct? I hope you agree with me, because here is the little profile for her;

* * *

><p>Name (Last, first): Orrosta Avery<p>

Pronunciation: Oh-roh-stah Ay-very

Epithet: "The Ivory Heart" or "Ivory Heart"

Affiliation: Marine

Rank (Applies only to Marines): Vice-Admiral

Age: 17

Appearance: Avery is a rather small young woman, barely brushing 5'4", and as such is the 'dwarf' of her division, and most of the Marine ranks. She has long snowy white hair that reaches her waist in length, and a pair of stunning blood crimson eyes. Her left eye is covered with a black and red eye patch, and it is yet unknown if it is damaged, or it was lost somehow. Her long white locks are all straight, with shorter bangs that frame her face and one stray piece of hair that sits adjacently over the rest of her hair that covers her forehead. Her features are soft and rounded, adding to her child-like appearance, and she has little to no bust to speak of. She wraps tight bandages and bindings around her chest to give her better ease of movement when she fights. Her day-to-day outfit on duty consists of a sharp white tailored jacket, under which she wears a crisp fitted white shirt, and a blue tie. Her jacket is actually worn under the Vice-Admiral coat, which she tends to wear in a cape-like fashion. The shirt and jacket are both tucked into a pair of high-waisted white trousers, which billow out at the knees and are tucked into a pair of black knee-high boots. The whole outfit appears to be too big for her, the aim of which is to make herself appear bigger, but it serves the opposite purpose of making her seem smaller. She probably weighs in at around 98lbs, making her rather light as she is technically borderline underweight. Her build is rather athletic, as most limbs are toned, due to her body undergoing rigorous training.

Personality: In short, she is usually very calm and collected until someone sets off her rather explosive temper. She seems to have a shorter temper with some people than with others, as she usually snaps at her Captains and the like, rather than her crew. There are certain triggers that set her off, and can result in rather… terrible circumstances for those surrounding her. Those include if she is called short, said to be a child, or being called 'harmless'. She tends to lash out at those who insulted her in that way, or even at people just around her at the time. Most of the time, however, she maintains a cool head and seems to be a rather natural (although very harsh) leader. She is able to command respect from her subordinates, even if it has taken her a long time to do so because of many factors working against her. She is, however, very scathing and hard to keep company with. She has bad habits of undermining the abilities of her peers and subordinates, and she is rather insufferable and hard to deal with at the best of times. She is not much of a talker unless she is provoked to do so, or needs to be, and will usually keep to herself and merely glare at anyone trying to speak to her. Needless to say, she is very pedantic in general, and it takes her a lot longer to complete tasks that are usually simple and straight-forward because of the fact that they have to be perfect, and done her way. Hidden beneath the surface, however, is an entirely different side to her that has long been quelled due to her time in the Navy…

Abilities/ Powers: You will find out in the next chapter, and get descriptions of it later!~

Misc. Info: Her favourite foods are sour, and she cannot seem to stomach sweet deserts or the like. She tends to eat sauerkraut a lot, with potatoes and meats, with sour things to finish off her meals (rhubarb, lemon-flavoured things, lime-flavoured things, greek yoghurt etc). She is a literal clean freak, and has issues with dealing with mess and disorderly things. As such, she bathes at least once a day, or even twice a day at times, and always smells like fresh soap.

* * *

><p>The rest, you will find out in the fanfic, either as trivia, or through the chapters themselves! Leave reviews, and be constructive! If it sucked, tell me so, and how I can improve. If it was good, then please tell me what was good, and what you liked! Anyway, much love! Eternal, out!<p> 


	2. The Straw Hats: Met Their Match!

**Writer's Notes:** Hello everyone! I hope that you enjoyed the introductory chapter that I published! Again, a word about how I do not own One Piece… it is as simple as that! It's amazing, but it belongs to Eiichiro Oda. The OCs are my own content, however. Oh, and there's a little bit of cussing in this chapter. There'll be little bits in every chapter, because of the nature of the universe and how the characters refer to one another, so. Now please, ensure you are sitting comfortably, with a good beverage and a snack, and prepare to read the second instalment of the tale, In Pursuit of Dreams!

* * *

><p><em>All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full. (King Solomon)<em>

* * *

><p>The past few days had been a trial for the infamous Straw Hat pirates. First and foremost, their old ship, on which they had travelled half-way around the world, was too damaged beyond repair and they needed a new one to continue their journey. That in itself had been heart-breaking for every crew member. Secondly, they had arrived in Water Seven to have a new ship made, and the fallout caused Usopp to defect from the crew as he refused to let the Merry Go leave them. And thirdly, by far the most important factor, had been their crew member Robin leaving for execution as she was a deadly threat to the World Government. It was hardly like the captain, Monkey D. Luffy (otherwise known as Straw Hat), was going to allow that to happen. In an act that now made them enemies of the entire world, he had 'Sogeking' burn down the World Government flag before proceeding to rescue Robin from her captors.<p>

All in all, it had been a rather eventful experience for all of them.

As such, it was nice that they were sailing away from the Marine haven of Enies Lobby, and were able to finally recuperate and recover after such a harsh battle that each of them had experienced. It was not surprising, therefore, that a Navy ship bypassed their notice and nobody seemed to realise that they were being followed.

"Oi, Sanji!" Luffy started to whine as his stomach grumbled and complained audibly, hanging upside down from the upper deck railings and clutching at his griping stomach. He didn't wait for a response from the blonde cook currently reclining in one of the loungers aboard their ship, and instead started to groan and whine even more. "I'm so hungryyyyyyyy!" Everything seemed to be so very normal on board the Thousand Sunny. After all, this happened every day without fail. At almost every time of the day, the captain would complain about being hungry, the cook would yell at him and tell him to wait until everyone else ate, the navigator would tut and roll her eyes, the marksman would start laughing, along with the doctor, the archaeologist would chuckle and go back to reading her book, the first mate would briefly wake up from his nap before falling back to sleep, and their new shipwright would say "Suuuuuper!" before going back to working on numerous blueprints. Today was no exception. The hollow sound of an object hitting a rubber head could be heard as Sanji threw his shoe at his captain.

"Luffy, shut your mouth! You're ALWAYS hungry! You can wait until lunchtime." The blonde got to his feet and went to retrieve his shoe, ignoring the pouting and further whining from Luffy about how he was going to die if he didn't eat soon. Following that, Sanji paused and looked out across the side of the ship, not sure if he was the only one who felt a sense of foreboding. _'It's probably nothing…' _He thought, his eyes briefly narrowing before his shoulders slumped from being tense, putting it down to his suspicions. He put his shoe back on and then made his way below deck, wanting to start working on the crew's lunch despite what he just yelled at his captain.

Zoro awoke with a start upon hearing familiar yelling, grunting and rubbing his eyes as he slowly sat up in the middle of the deck, wondering how he had managed to fall asleep here of all places. In all honesty, he did always manage to find the most awkward places to sleep, so he shrugged it off and put it down to his harsh training regimes making him tired enough to simply pass out like he had done. It was rather quiet out on the deck of the Sunny, he noticed. Usually the younger crew members (which happened to include the captain) would run around the deck chasing something, giggling insanely or trying to find a good spot to fish off the side of the ship. Robin was a quiet soul, everyone knew that, but even her presence was not felt up on the deck where she would usually recline and read one of her many books. Their newest crew member, the blue-haired Franky, was loud and the like when he was not working on his blueprints and new inventions, but it was a telling sign that he was below deck in his workshop because he wasn't present here. Sanji, or as the swordsman liked to call him, the shit cook, was nowhere to be seen either. He was probably below deck preparing lunch. The navigator, Nami, was probably drawing up charts below deck. Chopper was most likely working on more medicine, and Usopp was also probably below deck tinkering with his new and improved slingshot.

Therefore, it was rather easy to see why the deck was so quiet at a usually boisterous time of day. It was only him out on the deck, and his idiotic captain hanging from the upper deck out here in the open. The moss-haired swordsman turned and looked at Luffy, quirking an eyebrow slightly and sighing.

"Where is everyone? It's strangely quiet today." He folded his arms across his chest and scanned the deck once more, as if he was expecting one of their crew to appear out of thin air. He looked back towards the dark-haired youth when he heard that characteristic laughter of his, and saw Luffy shrug his shoulders which looked very strange considering the fact that he was upside down.

"I dunno! Everyone's probably resting." Luffy grinned, reaching up to grab hold of the railing his feet were wrapped around, and switching his weight distribution so that he was hanging by his arms instead, before dropping himself down onto the deck with a soft thudding sound. He walked towards his first mate slowly, more of an ambling pace, and crossed his arms behind his head; a common gesture he used when he was relaxed, or thinking about something casually. Not that he'd ever think too hard about anything. That just wasn't his style. Heck, it would usually cause him huge headaches if ever he considered something too deeply. It was obvious that he wasn't perturbed in the slightest by the strange stillness of the waters, and a creeping sense of foreboding that was taking its hold over Zoro currently. _'It's not the fact that nobody is out here being… well, themselves… it's hard to explain…' _The swordsman briefly closed his eyes, scrunching them shut and trying to think of what felt strange to him. When he came up with nothing, his shoulders slumped in defeat, much like Sanji's had done before when he had noticed something strange.

"Most probably." The green-haired swordsman commented, walking slowly across the deck to the railings and leaning against them to look out across the wide expanse of blue ocean. Being on a ship, the sea and oceans were all they really seemed to see, but it was nice in its own way. They visited islands too, obviously, but most of their time was spent on-board the ship travelling through the Grand Line towards their goal. None of them truly knew what lay ahead, not even their Navigator, such was the nature of this sea.

It was ironic that, at that point in time, they did not notice what was approaching from behind either.

The cannon-fire alerted them first; the explosive sounds startling both men above deck. Then, the boat started to rock and shake as the cannonballs missed by such small margins every time, crashing into the water and creating large waves. Usopp rushed up above deck upon hearing the cannons being fired at them, and moved to the port side of the Sunny. It was clear to see now, a huge looming Marine ship, that was already so close. How on earth had they not noticed this and used their special weapon that Franky had created?! They could have been far away by now.

"Eh?! How could you guys have not seen that?!" Usopp's surprise was visible in his face as his jaw nearly dropped right onto the floor. His eyes went wide and lost the pupils for a second, showing his palpable surprise rather well. It was shocked out of him, however, as he heard a very threatening grunt from Zoro. He blinked and pinched the bridge of his nose, stepping back from the railings and moving to the centre of the deck along with the first mate and the captain.

"It doesn't matter now. Go and alert the others, we need to get ready. There's not much we can do now." Zoro reached to his left hip to draw two of his famous swords, slowly drawing the third and placing it deliberately in his mouth, his teeth clamping down onto it hard to ensure that it stayed there. Considering what had happened in Enies Lobby only two days previously, it was easy to say that the Marines would have sent one of their best after them in pursuit. The long-nosed marksman hesitated briefly before nodding and hurrying back below deck, his voice ringing out onto the deck.

"Oi, everyone! Get to the deck!"

Luffy hadn't said a word this whole time while his eyes stayed focused on the approaching Marine ship. He slowly raised his arms in front of him and cracked both of his knuckles loudly, preparing for the inevitable. They had to fight against the Marines this time, they couldn't flee. Especially not since the grapples had already been launched and had latched onto the Sunny. Rather quickly, the rest of the Straw Hats started to spill out onto the deck. Robin and Franky emerged first, moving to get in line with their captain and first mate, staring across at the imposing ship (that was much larger than theirs, it went without saying) and waiting for the worst. Sanji followed quickly afterwards, discarding his 'dashing' pink frilly apron and moving to stand beside Zoro, reaching inside his jacket and pulling out a cigarette which he swiftly lit. He took a long drag and exhaled slowly, eyes narrowing as he watched for any movement.

"They picked a fight with the wrong guy. I wasn't even able to finish lunch." He spoke lowly and full of menace in spite of the rather comical statement, and nobody laughed either. He couldn't help but wonder who they had sent after them this time. Surely it would have to be someone good, considering what had happened at Enies Lobby. The Navy would want them apprehended and executed as an example to the whole world that it was a bad move to mess with the World Government.

The rest of the Straw Hats emerged from below deck, taking the remaining places at the sides of their comrades. Nami looked particularly worried, her brown eyes filled with concern and annoyance. They had already suffered a lot of wounds, that they were mostly over now, but it wasn't her wish to fight so soon after what had happened at Enies Lobby. Heck, if it was her choice, she wouldn't fight at all. Chopper stood beside her, having transformed into his hybrid form to appear bigger and more menacing than his regular self.

"Everyone, we have to be careful… all of us suffered bad wounds at Enies Lobby." He reminded everyone lowly, his voice quiet and solemn. He knew what could happen if the wounds were re-opened, or new ones were created, worse than the previous lot. It wouldn't be pretty, to say the least. Usopp swallowed audibly and loudly, brandishing his large green slingshot and staring straight across at the Marine ship, waiting to see what they were up against. Had they sent an Admiral after them this time? If that was the case, there was no way they could fight an Admiral.

A loud, resounding stomping sound echoed across the space as someone made a point of standing up on the railing of the Marine ship, looking down in a disgusted manner at the Straw Hats. Relief that was almost palpable spread through the crew as they saw the figure they were up against, and a few sniggers started to spread through their ranks. Sanji and Zoro seemed to find it especially funny that such a small, weak-looking girl was going to be their opponent.

"Hey, we probably shouldn't hit her so hard. Looks like she can bruise easily." Sanji muttered to the swordsman at his side, holding back a snigger. He took another drag of his cigarette and pulled it from his lips, holding it between his index finger and middle finger of his right hand, unable to see how this girl could pose a real threat to them. And yet she was acting so high and mighty, she was so sure that she could arrest them and bring them to justice. She looked like nothing more than a little girl. Of the whole crew, it was Robin that appeared to be the most concerned, and her slightly shaking hands were curled into fists while she let all of the information before her sink into her brain. This certainly wasn't good.

"Division 38, prepare to encircle and take down those with bounties lower than seventy million beli*. Captains, provide them with back-up while I focus on those who have bounties of over seventy million." The white-haired girl commanded, suddenly launching herself from the railing of her ship to land with cat-like grace on the deck of the Sunny.

"Hai!"

Her division's confirmation was followed by heavy footsteps landing on the deck of the pirate ship, and rushing to surround Nami, Usopp, Chopper and Franky. They made sure to surround them on the upper deck, pushing them up the stairs and allowing plenty of room for the Vice-Admiral to have manoeuvring space during her fight. With them out of the way, and in the hands of her crew, the short female was able to focus on the crew's captain, first mate, cook and archaeologist.

"Stand back, Luffy. We'll be able to manage this short-…" Sanji's words were cut short as he yelled out in pain before coughing as the impact to his gut caused him to spit up blood. His body slowly crumpled to the ground, and now stood behind his anguished form, was the girl he had insulted. Her facial expression was utterly flat, and almost bored as she turned around to face her opponents once again. Her right hand was extended, with silver energy slowly fading from her loosely curled fist. Luffy's eyes were wide with shock as he looked at one of the strongest fighting forces on his crew lying weak and helpless on the deck.

"As I thought…" Robin gasped and stepped back slightly, her arms crossed over her chest and hands slowly closing into fists. Her eyes slowly narrowed and a ragged breath escaped from her lips, obviously not happy about their current opponent in the slightest. "This is no ordinary girl. I wish I could have been able to warn you earlier… her name is Orrosta "Ivory Heart" Avery, and she is a Vice-Admiral of the Navy. Not only that… the youngest ever to achieve that rank." As always, she was a source of knowledge for these kinds of things. With her own involvement in the World Government, she felt that it was rather important that she kept up to date with the hot shots and dangerous people in the ranks of the Navy.

"It doesn't surprise me that you of all people have done your research on potential threats to you… Nico Robin. You were given your bounty as a young girl, isn't that correct? They call you the Demon Child." Avery turned fully to face her current enemies, her right hand falling casually to her side once more as she surveyed her opponents. The dark-haired woman grimaced slightly upon hearing that horrible nickname that had been given to her on that fateful day, and after that point, it was all she had been known as. Zoro had been looking at his crew mate currently laid on the floor, unable to stand due to the sheer force of the attack that had been launched at him… and the speed of it! He had merely blinked and missed it, literally. _'She took down the shit cook… in one strike. What kind of monster is this?!' _He thought, slowly sinking into a crouch with his swords gripped at the ready.

Without warning, he launched himself at the white-haired girl. In half a second, she had not only effortlessly side-stepped the attack, but she had started on a warpath towards Robin, who was stood entirely helpless to guard until the very last second. Hands sprouted from her arms in flowering patterns, and spread in front of her to form a shield of sorts, but it wasn't quite completed when Avery was upon her. An intensely powerful kick was launched at her, effectively smashing through the hand defences she had made, and slammed her straight down onto the ground on her back. The same strange silver energy was streaming from the Vice-Admiral, only this time it was from the leg she had used to kick Robin with.

"Robin!" Luffy cried out, looking at two of his strongest crewmates currently laying out on the ground, unable to do anything. He turned and focused his glare on the young woman who had been responsible, and she merely rolled her eyes, not intimidated in the slightest. She had seen a lot scarier pirates that a seventeen-year-old boy with a straw hat on his head.

"Oh, relax. They aren't hurt fatally in any way. They'll be fine. If they know what's good for them, they'll stay down for what is to come… I'd hate it if things had to become… difficult." The white-haired girl tilted her head to the side and smirked slightly, her attention now turning to the bewildered swordsman who had rounded in order to look at his escaped target. "Roronoa Zoro. Once a pirate hunter, and now a pirate himself. A bounty on his head of one hundred million beli. Quite the heavy hitter by all accounts. I'll take you down next, and then see what the strength of Monkey D. Luffy is. A man with a three hundred million beli bounty… the World Government really wants to see you dead." Her attention was shifted between whom she was talking about, whether it was Zoro or Luffy in turn.

"You seem pretty sure of yourself. You'll have to defeat me first!" Zoro's words were slightly muffled due to the sword he was holding between his teeth, but they were still audible and they made his opponent laugh.

"Bring it on, then, and show me the power of this three sword style of yours." She casually pushed her left leg back to stagger her weight distribution, raising her left arm as a support and then creating a 'blade' with her hand, of sorts, keeping it flat and holding it straight out towards the green-haired swordsman. He was upon her in less than a second, his two hand-held swords drawn backwards. He was bringing them forwards in an attempt to slash at her when she closed her visible eye and focused on what was going on around her. Strange forces allowed her to 'see' perfectly well with both of her eyes either covered or shut, and she was able to merely slide slightly to the right side to avoid being struck by a heavy-hitting three sword slash. When her visible right eye opened again, she was happy to see that Zoro was surprised and utterly bewildered about how she could have dodged without watching what was coming towards her. Her right hand surged forwards and grabbed hold of his closest shoulder, which happened to be the left, and she pushed him so that he was off-balance.

"Life Force Art…" Her hands came together in a clasping motion, her left hand over the top of her right and both gripping tightly at the respective hand. "Blinding White Shot!" Her hands quickly unclasped as she named her strange technique, and a huge aura of brilliant shining silver energy surrounded her, making the whole ship shake from the immense pressure created by it. She sprung towards Zoro, her left hand extended towards him, palm first, as a huge condensed beam of silvery white light shot forth and struck him straight in the chest. It didn't have a piercing quality, otherwise it would have ripped a hole through him due to the intense pressure and power condensed into the beam. Instead, it sent him flying through the air to smash against the pirate ship's main mast. He slid down the mast and hit the deck with a soft thud, and he grunted due to the force of the impact. But he managed to get up to his feet, swords still grasped determinedly in his hands (his knuckles had turned white by this point) and one blade being gritted between his teeth.

"Oho, I'm impressed that you can stand after taking that attack head on." She mused aloud, her arrogance obviously shining through at this point. Brief silence enveloped the ship, and all was still for a few seconds, aside from the ever-shifting winds making Avery's Vice-Admiral coat flap and crack loudly. The green-haired swordsman grinned slightly, rushing at her again. This time, she rushed to meet him, mid-strike. Silver energy mixed with white encased both of her arms as she ran, and she crossed them over her chest in an 'x' shape just as Zoro aimed to slice across her chest with his swords. "Life Force Art: X-Blades!" She called out, the energy gaining a very palpable, solid quality and sharpening into aura blades. It was a strange effect, seeing an energy seeming as solid and dense as the very swords that Zoro used in battle. Their strikes clashed against one another, and a shockwave caused the ship to sway off balance briefly before centring again. While one party came away unscathed, the other now sported many shallow and some deep cuts on his shoulders, forearms and upper torso.

'_How on earth… could she cut me like that? Those techniques of hers… they make no sense. She can make that energy as solid as she likes it to be, and it can guard against even my strongest of techniques…' _Zoro grimaced slightly as he backed away from her and she did the same, now standing around two or three metres apart. He was about to launch himself into another onslaught on her, when he was stopped by an arm being thrown out in front of him; a universal gesture which meant 'stop right there'. He narrowed his eyes and followed the arm, looking at the body it belonged to. Stood in front of him was Luffy, his captain, and he wore a stupidly goofy grin on his face.

"Zoro, give me a turn here. This looks like fun!" He laughed, raising his arms and slowly cracking his knuckles. This was very much like Luffy, it went without saying, and it infuriated his first mate rather a lot. Especially since he was determined to beat that Vice-Admiral, and now he was being told to stand down? Did his captain not believe that he could beat her? In all honesty, Zoro wasn't too confident that he could defeat her either. Her strength was… something else. And he had only seen two of her techniques so far. When she took down Sanji and Robin, she hadn't even been using techniques. She just used her raw strength and that weird energy of hers. He looked long and hard at Luffy, wondering what on earth that idiot was thinking this time. Why did he decide now that he wanted to fight against this girl? Sometimes, he knew that he should give the captain some more credit. While he was indeed an absolute blockhead, it was an indisputable fact after all, sometimes he had strokes of genius and his own ways of being smart. Maybe he had been observing the Vice-Admiral's fighting style and was confident that he could defeat her.

"… Fine. But you better know what you're doing." The swordsman backed off, lowering his sword from his mouth and slowly sheathing each of his three blades. In all honesty, it sounded as if Luffy thought it would be fun to fight against this opponent that was obviously extremely strong. He was grinning childishly and occasionally laughing while he clenched his fists and cracked his knuckles, seeming to be warming up for the fight. _'That idiot… well, if I can't beat her, then he should be able to. This is Luffy we're talking about.' _Zoro thought, moving away from the direct line of fire and then checking on both Sanji and Robin to make sure they were okay. Indeed, it was as Avery said; they weren't seriously injured, and instead were knocked down by the sheer force and power. They still weren't getting up any time soon.

"Alright then, Straw Hat Luffy. I've heard many stories of your fight prowess, but we'll see just how strong you really are." The white-haired girl smirked and sank into her fighting stance, where her hand was held out in its flattened position.

"Hehe, this should be fun! Your abilities are super amazing!" All of a sudden, bright yellow stars appeared in the captain's eyes while he thought about the cool attacks that Avery had already broken out in the fights she had partaken in.

"SHE'S YOUR ENEMY, YOU IDIOT! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO COMPLIMENT HER LIKE THAT!" Zoro yelled from the side lines, his teeth looking a lot sharper and pointier, as they often did when he got angry with anyone. More often than not, however, he was angry with Luffy the most when compared to how angry he got with the members of the crew (excluding Sanji, of course). At first, Luffy seemed to struggle with the concept of the white-haired girl as being his enemy. He furrowed his brow and seemed to be thinking extremely hard, as if it were paining him to do so, before he let out a deep sigh and shrugged his shoulders, holding his hands out to complete the dismissive gesture.

"But she's so cool! Hey, you should join my crew!" He grinned widely and started to laugh again, that very distinctive sound of 'Shishishi'. That exclamation seemed to catch Avery entirely off-guard, as her visible eye widened and a long 'Ehhhhhh?!' sound left her lips while she was left trying to let that sink in for a moment or two.

"Don't you realise that I'm here to apprehend you, you idiot?!" She shouted at him, stunning silver energy coating her fists all of a sudden in a flare. Luffy slowly tilted his head to the side and folded his arms over his chest, as if pondering this fact, before shrugging his shoulders again.

"You are? Aw, that sucks." He pouted this time, obviously disappointed by this fact that had been stated by the very beginning.

"HOW ON EARTH HAVE YOU MISSED THE POINT UNTIL NOW?!" Zoro piped up again, his voice loud and disbelieving of his captain's sheer stupidity. Sometimes, there were no words to express the idiocy of Monkey D. Luffy, and Zoro always managed to fall short of the words he wanted to truly say when he was astounded by the complete lack of common sense and ability to think by his captain. Flashes of bright silver and white filled the atmosphere for a second, and the strange energy had entire encased Avery as only her visible crimson eye was the only thing remaining uncovered by the surge of energy. Its appearance and shifting nature made the energy appear to be like flames, which seemed to do well to make it obvious how angry she was at present.

"Ooooooh, sugoi!" The weird yellow stars were back in Luffy's eyes as he clenched both of his fists and looked at the flaming silver energy currently swirling around Avery's form. "Now you DEFINITELY have to join my crew!" He exclaimed, obviously still focused on that as opposed to the fact that he could probably be killed by the raging Vice-Admiral right now.

"You can't just ask someone in the Navy to join your damn pirate crew! Do you know how ridiculous that is?!" She practically screeched, the silver energy spiking in power and flying up at least ten metres into the air before dying down again. Her expression was now set solidly in a scowl and her brows were furrowed with sheer concentration. "Don't take me lightly, Straw Hat. I'll beat you into a rubbery pulp and put an end to your crew, once and for all." Her voice suddenly became deadly serious and level, revealing the way in which her rage actually boiled down after her earlier (literal) explosion of anger. Strange ethereal silver energies flew from her limbs as she sank low into a crouch, preparing to strike. "Prepare yourself!"

* * *

><p>* - Beli is the currency for the One Piece universe. It can also be called 'berry' or 'belly', but I'll be settling for the Japanese spelling of 'beli'.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>The Writer's Notes:<strong> So here we are! Things are hotting up, am I right, or am I right?! Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Everyone loves a good fight, and hilarious moments in between! Please, feel free to review this chapter and let me know how I did! If you want to know any specific information, just drop me a PM or leave it in a review or something so I can answer your question, as long as it doesn't involve spoilers! NO SPOILERS FOR YOU! Muahahahaha! Oh yeah, the opening quote is something that I found and I liked. Opening things will probably be those kinds of quote, about adventure or the sea, because… I love a good quote. Aye aye! Well, yanno… bye bye for now! Stay tuned for the next instalment!


	3. The Fierce Battle's Conclusion!

**Writer's Opening Notes:** Ohaiyo, minna! I hope that you're all doing wonderfully well today! Because I enjoyed writing the first two chapters of this story so much, I've decided to write the third one (and possibly the fourth, we'll see how it goes) so soon afterwards. I've noticed a massive spike in views since yesterday, on both chapters, so thank you for reading! But there is a definite lack in reviews, makes me wonder whether the chapters are bad, or good… hm… please let me know, no matter your opinion! Hopefully in this chapter I'll get the formatting right, with those fancy line breaks and all. Oh, and I don't own One Piece. I'm just writing about it because it's amazing! Enjoy!

* * *

><p><em>If you don't take risks, you'll have a wasted soul – Drew Barrymore <em>

* * *

><p>While the fierce fights on the lower deck continued, on the upper deck, Nami, Usopp, Franky and Chopper were cornered by a relentless Navy crew and their three Captains.<p>

"Gehehehe… you may as well give up while you can, Straw Hats." Herman stood in his usual strange stance, with his bow-legged awkwardness contrasted by his upright posture that suggested pure confidence, bordering on arrogance in this case. His spiky violet hair swayed in the breezes that raked across the Thousand Sunny, and his trademark cocky grin was present as ever on his face. He was impatiently lifting and tapping his huge hand cannon, keeping his distance due to his preference of fighting style. Stood ahead of him, were Sander and Dredak. While the former looked almost apologetic, the latter kept up his particularly scary appearance. He held his huge 7ft broadsword out in front of him, as if he were merely wielding a stick instead of the hulking thing that it was. The brown-haired shorter man in his middling thirties started to fidget again, huffing and making uncertain sounds.

"I'm sorry, but Herman-san is correct. We can't have any mercy on you. So let's resolve this quickly." Sander was never too comfortable with combat, and it was made obvious by his constant fidgeting and apprehensive sounds coming from his mouth. That aside, he was indeed a strong fighter, and because he was under obligation, he would go all-out. As always, Dredak remained silent and instead flexed his arms, bringing his huge broadsword up above his head before bringing it crashing down in a strangely graceful arc.

The fight had begun.

Usopp cried out and dodged the strike, which had primarily been aimed at him and Nami, as if their opponent could tell that they were currently the weakest links in the chain. He was skittering across the upper deck and slammed into the railings at the back of the ship, while the orange-haired Navigator fled in the other direction, skidding along the ground and catching herself at the last minute to avoid falling into the crowd of Marines on the stairs. They were given no respite, as Sander surged forward with huge fists made entirely out of wood covering his hands, aiming to strike Chopper. He met the punch with his own, but wasn't strong enough to match the strength, and went hurtling backwards against the railing, behind Franky.

"Hey! That wasn't supeeeer!" The shipwright exclaimed, holding his arm out towards Sander as his hand shifted over, giving way to a cannon inside. Before he could fire, however, he was struck by something very heavy at his blind side, causing him to cry out and slam into the ground. Herman grinned insanely and blew the smoke away from his hand cannon, having hit his mark perfectly.

"I hope that you realise that you guys just can't win against us." The eccentric marksman of the Navy started to laugh again, swinging his hand cannon out in front of him, swiftly loading the barrel with numerous smaller cannon balls as opposed to one large one like he had done previously. "Soon, Avery-sama will be finished with your friends down there, and we'll take you all into custody… or an accident might happen along the way." He smirked and pulled the trigger on his cannon, launching a scattered shot of numerous cannon balls with deadly accuracy at all of his targets. Each cannon ball hit their desired target and detonated with enough force to shake the whole ship.

As the smoke cleared, Usopp gasped and slowly started getting to his feet, his teeth gritted and the hand gripping his slingshot turning white as he held it that much tighter.

"She won't beat everyone else! You don't know just how strong Luffy is!" He yelled, holding out his slingshot and loading it before crying out, "Fire Star!" A fiery bolt erupted from the slingshot, and went hurtling towards the Marines. None of them looked phased by this, especially since the hulking man holding his broadsword leapt in front of the blast and used his huge sword to block the strike with ease.

"Well, if I were you, I'd be hoping that he was strong enough to beat Avery-sama… which he won't be… and come to save your asses, because you guys are pathetic!" Herman started to cackle madly, swaggering forward into the staggered line of Captains currently facing off against the four Straw Hats. The aforementioned crew gritted their teeth as they rallied together again from being scattered, already starting to hope that by some miracle, they could defeat these guys.

'_If this is how strong the Captains are…' _Nami grimaced, her hands curling into tight fists before she reached for her right thigh, unstrapping and assembling her climatact. _'I dread to think how strong the Vice-Admiral is!' _She swung her blue staff across her body, eyes narrowing as she started to think of the best course of action against this threat they currently faced.

'_Luffy…' _Chopper closed his eyes tightly for a brief number of seconds, picturing his captain's goofy smiling face in his mind before opening his eyes again, raising his head and looking across at their current opponents. _'I know you can defeat her! You've beaten much stronger… surely!' _He pulled out his famous little orange ball, holding it in his hand and ready to use it at any given time.

'_Come on, Luffy… I know that you're fighting hard down there. So we'll fight hard too! Super hard!' _Franky held up his right arm and his hand slid aside, revealing the cannon inside, ready to fire and hopefully get them back into this fight. They were far from finished… he hoped.

* * *

><p>On the main deck of the Thousand Sunny, a mixture of agitated shouts and gleeful laughter filled the air as the Vice-Admiral and pirate captain fought. It is surely simple to guess which sounds were coming from which party, correct? Avery continued to press Luffy hard with flurries of Life Force strikes, trying to find gaps to strike him with, her long white locks flying in every direction and serving to make her look even fiercer. Somehow, he was able to keep dodging her attacks, even if it was narrowly, because of his rubbery body that he was using to his advantage.<p>

'_Just one hit… just one damn hit, that's all I need!' _She thought angrily, briefly ceasing her assault to back off and regroup further away from him. But by now, she knew that even if she was at a distance, he could still hit her. His punches and kicks were elastic, and could stretch a long way. She did not want to have to fight any harder than she currently was, just because it really shouldn't be this difficult. She was fighting an utter idiot, who kept laughing and commenting on how cool her abilities were. _'I guess that three hundred million beli bounty on his head isn't all just because he defied the World Government. He has some impressive fighting skills to back it up too. Impressive, but predictable. There's no way he can hit me at his current level. Not while I can predict his attacks so easily.' _She thought to herself, watching as her opponent prepared himself for a strike.

"Gomu Gomu no…" He brought his right arm far back, stretching it to insane distances before grinning and shifting his weight forward, snapping his arm towards her at a blinding speed. "Pistol!" She sidestepped it with ease, and turned to assault his arm while he had it outstretched. Her left hand was coated in her characteristic silver aura, and she raised it to chop violently at his retreating arm. His eyes widened as he tried to make his arm snap back faster, but failed to do so. He cried out as she caught his forearm with her powerful strike, looking at his arm when it finally got back to its regular length. That had **hurt! **

"Devil Fruit users… especially Paramecia types, are extremely easy to read and combat. No regular strike can hurt them, that goes without saying, but my abilities far surpass those of normal calibre." Avery turned and faced her opponent, holding out her hands and flexing them slowly as the strange silver aura returned at her will. Luffy's face creased in confusion. She had managed to hit him, and so easily as well! Had she been analysing his attacks and the like while they had been having exchanges before? Well, not only had she managed to hit him, but she had managed to hurt him. It was something that he was not yet used to aside from special cases that he fought on Enies Lobby, those insane CP9 operatives. But she didn't use any of those techniques. Instead, she had that strange Life Force Art at her disposal.

"How does it work, that special stuff you do?" He asked, tilting his head to the side and pointing at her, obviously expecting an answer. He watched her eyes slowly narrow and her lips part slightly to make way for an irritated sigh.

"My special abilities are of no concern to you. Why should I explain my powers to a man that I'm trying to arrest?" She was obviously baffled by the sheer idiocy of her opponent, that didn't seem to go away despite the obvious threat she showed to him. For whatever reason he was holding back, and Zoro had noticed that much too. _'He isn't using any of his higher power techniques, like Gear Second… what on earth is he planning?! She's trying to arrest us all and have us killed, and Luffy has the audacity to play around?!' _The swordsman was currently struggling to understand his captain's method of thought in this situation.

There was quite a long pause, in which the raven-haired captain seemed to be considering something. After the pause, however, a huge grin spread on his lips and it almost threatened to split his face in half if he grinned any wider.

"I like you! You're super strong! Join my crew!" He started laughing boisterously, hands on his hips while he upheld that stupidly infectious grin of his. He was still singing from the same song sheet, it appeared, in spite of what was happening around him. Was that why he wasn't using his full strength against her, in the hope that she would miraculously change her heart and decide that she would join them? Luffy would never hurt his nakama, after all. That was the only reason that Zoro could fathom, but he still found it to be a stupid one. Did he even seem to consider the fact that this Avery woman was in the Navy, and was here to take them away to be executed? And judging by her demeanour, she wasn't one to be swayed so easily.

Another long period of silence created a strange tension on the Sunny, especially when one examined the facial expression of the Vice-Admiral. Her snowy bangs were hiding her eyes, casting a shadow over half of her face. All that could be seen was her mouth, which was slowly twitching in a sign of sheer annoyance. Her hands were curling and uncurling from fists clenched so tight that the whites of her knuckles showed.

"It is obvious that I have no other choice." Her tone of voice was particularly grim, and scarily level and composed considering how angry she seemed to be. Briefly, Luffy's face lit up, as if he was expecting her to turn around and say that yes, she would join his pirate crew despite being a Vice-Admiral of the Navy who fought viciously against pirates in the name of justice. A huge, shaking pressure started to engulf the whole ship as the silver energy started to engulf her whole form once more, flickering angrily around her as she slowly raised her head and glared directly in Luffy's direction. "I have to fight to my full capacity for you to stop this ridiculous farce of yours. Now… I shall play the role of executioner, and kill the pirate idiot known as Monkey D. Luffy."

She was off in a flash, greatly aided by the silver energy flowing around her entire form. Before Luffy could react, she had hit him square on at his abdomen with an immensely powerful straight right, launching him off his feet and sending him crashing into the back of the deck. Blood started to trickle from his mouth from the force of the impact, and in spite of the crushing blow he had taken, he started smirking to himself. He slowly peeled himself from the mass of splintered wood behind him, and landed back on the main deck itself softly. With purpose, he raised his left hand and wiped his mouth with the back of it, looking at his blood and slowly starting to smirk even more.

"That was a really strong attack… you really are the perfect material for my crew!" He launched himself at her, closing the distance quickly and watching as her face contorted into a show of sheer rage.

"You just don't quit, do you?!" She yelled at him, raising her left arm to block his attempted right hook against her and pushing against his strike to send him staggering backwards slightly. She seized the opportunity and was upon him again, this time with a greatly concentrated amount of silver Life Force energy backing her up. "Life Force Art: Ethereal Devastation!" She cried out, her left leg swinging around to assault his right side. As soon as the kick caught him, a surge of energy exploded against him and sent him down to the deck, and she followed up in her combo with a downward left strike aimed at his head. She was surprised to find that, in the midst of her strike against him, he had managed to block her hit with his arms held out in front of him as he lay on the ground. He moved his right arm and extended it towards her, moving to strike her at point-blank range. All of a sudden, his body seemed to be steaming, and was coloured in a strange pink hue. Something told her that the hit wouldn't be pretty.

Utilising her partial mastery of Haki, which she had been using for the whole time she had boarded the Straw Hat's ship, she locked onto the direction Luffy's fist was heading, and managed to escape it hitting her by a mere hair's breadth. She pushed away from him, using her hand which had been pressed against his guard, to launch herself a good distance away, putting at least three metres between them.

'_Just what… is that ability he's using?' _She thought in bewilderment as she watched the raven-haired young man push himself up into a crouched position, pressing his right fist down onto the ground while steam flew off his form. _'Is this what he used to defeat CP9?' _She guessed that it made sense, considering how he had managed to block her strike against him merely using a seemingly basic guard. Her strike was usually enough to break through even advanced forms of guards, like shields. So whatever he was doing right now, was a threat in itself if he could manage to stop her attack in its tracks. At least she had managed to land that kick on him. He seemed to be carrying the injury a little bit, but otherwise seemed rather un-phased by it.

Zoro allowed himself to smirk slightly on the side-lines, finding the whole situation unfolding to be rather comical in its own way after Luffy had finally started to take the fight somewhat seriously. He had brought out his Gear Second, which was so strong that he had managed to take down some of the strongest in CP9 while using it. That being said, this was a Vice-Admiral that he was facing. There was no way that she was anywhere near the skill level of the CP9 operatives; she had well surpassed that. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard groans beside him, and looked down as Sanji finally started to get up, grunting and grimacing as he sat back, watching the conflict between their captain and their enemy in awe.

"That strike… was something else." He groaned as he slowly got to his feet, turning and taking a look at the swordsman who was looking rather worse for wear himself. "Don't tell me that you tried to go toe-to-toe with her." He buried his face into his palm as he already knew the answer considering the cuts and gashes he had currently covering his upper body. "We have to be smart about this. There's no way we can beat her, but at least if Luffy keeps her busy for a while, we can take out the rest of her force. Then, no matter how strong she is, she won't be able to take all of us at once." He took out a cigarette and lit it, inhaling a deep breath of the smoke before exhaling it in a small cloud. _'To think that someone so young has… that much strength. That's the last time I'm underestimating anyone.' _He slowly shook his head in disbelief, turning to see Robin slowly stirring and sitting up.

"That's surprisingly smart, shit cook. Maybe being hit by a little girl finally knocked some sense into you." Zoro stated, getting up to stand next to his blonde crewmate. He ignored the flurry of insults thrown at him from his male companion, and instead looked at Robin. "Can you stand?" He asked, offering a hand down for the raven-haired woman to grab hold of if she needed it. She smiled up at him and took his hand, hauling herself up and dusting herself off afterwards.

"Sanji is correct, that is a very good strategy. We should capitalise on it at once." She nodded along with the two others, and then made her way after them to the upper deck of the Thousand Sunny.

* * *

><p>Manic laughter filled the air of the upper deck as Herman swaggered about surveying the felled bodies of the Straw Hat pirates, obviously mocking them by this point.<p>

"So here they are! The feared Straw Hats, each one down on their arse, sprawled on their front or laid out on their back! Avery-sama was wrong about them; they're pathetic!" He laughed, shaking his head as he paced the deck, taunting each felled member in turn. Nami gritted her teeth and pushed herself up onto her arms, having been taken down so that her front hit the hard deck beneath her, and she reached to her ribs where she held a particularly sore place. She was no doctor, but she could tell that a rib had been broken here where she was pressing. _'Ugh… I knew it… these guys have insane amounts of strength between them. And they cover each other's weaknesses.' _She thought bitterly as she slowly tried to push herself up to her feet.

'_Are we really that weak? Or are these guys just… insanely strong?' _Chopper grunted as he started to stir on the ground, slowly raising his head and glaring at their opponents. It annoyed him how easily these three had taken them all out, including Franky, who had insane modifications on his body and was part cyborg. He was heard to take down. But he too had been felled.

"I don't think anyone back at Enies Lobby would protest if we killed these guys right here, do you?" Herman continued to pace the deck, smirking insanely and laughing every so often. "After all, it's just the big-shots that they're after. Not these losers." He walked past Usopp and pointedly kicked the side of his face, cackling as he leant over the long-nosed marksman with a mocking smile on his face.

"Oi, shit for brains. Move away from our nakama* before you get hurt." A familiar voice that could only belong to the blonde cook of the Straw Hat crew was enough to direct the Navy Captain's attention away from the four on the ground. Sanji walked up the stairs to the back of the deck, taking a long drag of his cigarette and standing at the top alongside Robin and Zoro. All of their faces spelled pure determination.

"Oho, it looks like we have more Straw Hats to eliminate." Herman grinned madly, cocking his huge hand cannon menacingly and looking with wide, expecting eyes at the three. "In that case… bring on the attempted challenge!" He quickly held out his hand cannon towards his intended targets, and pulled the trigger to fire off three large cannon balls in quick succession, each one heading for Sanji, Zoro and Robin respectively. Without so much as breaking a sweat, the cook for the Straw Hat pirates swung his leg around and intercepted the cannon ball, sending it hurtling back at the one who launched it. The first mate had drawn his swords and effortlessly sliced through the cannon ball aimed at him, moving forwards slightly in the process. And Robin had grasped the cannon ball with many sprouting hands to then throw it far overboard the ship.

Their actions made the cocky violet-haired man to frown all of a sudden, before he rolled his eyes and strolled backwards casually. In that same moment, his fellow captains moved forwards, as they were the ones that specialised in close combat and not him specifically. He would attack from a distance.

"Looks like you're mine." Zoro stated as he moved in front of the hulking man wielding a massive broadsword, and got a glassy green-eyed glare in return before he dodged out of the way of a hugely powerful sweeping strike to his left side. _'This guy's quick with that huge blade of his… looks like I need to be at least somewhat careful.' _He thought, rounding on Dredak with his three swords drawn at the ready. "Toro Nagashi!" He bellowed and went barrelling at his opponent, effortlessly dodging any strikes launched at him on his warpath due to his fluid movements. As he drew closer to the hulk of a man, he slashed one of his blades diagonally downwards, a fair distance away, but the slash travelled with intense speed and power, barrelling into and effectively slashing his opponent across the chest.

"Zoro! Sanji! Robin!" The doctor of the crew exclaimed, obviously happy to see them. He slowly managed to get himself into a crouch, and rubbed some blood away from his face. "How did you get past that Vice-Admiral?" He asked in bewilderment, because it was obvious that a battle was still raging down on the main deck. Sanji ducked a strike from Sander, hands in his pockets the whole time as he fought, tilting his head in Chopper's direction with his eyes briefly narrowing to express his urgency.

"We were only able to do it because Luffy's putting his neck on the line to fight her so intensely to keep her busy. We don't have much time though. Our goal is to defeat these guys, and leave her on her own so that she has no chance but to retreat. No matter how strong she is… there's no way she can take all of us at once." He removed his hands from his pockets to flip over, and perform a hand-stand with his legs spinning madly in numerous kicks to knock his opponent back a few paces. _'Ah, shit! He feels ridiculously solid.' _He thought, retracting and springing back up onto his feet to avoid a wooden hammer that would have hit his face.

"It's the only way we can win this fight." Robin confirmed grimly, nodding her head and moving forward in front of her injured comrades, her hands spreading across her chest elegantly as her eyes narrowed on her target; the man currently hiding behind the two other Captains. "Ocho Fleur!" Flower petals danced around her arms as they made a train of sorts across the deck, heading straight for Herman, unbeknownst to him. Three arms simultaneously grabbed his ankle, upper leg and left arm and, using those holds, grasped and threw him hard onto the deck. The hands on the deck retracted, and instead, grew closer to their intended target, sprouting from his shoulder blades and interlocking around his throat, while the others worked to pin him down. "Clutch." She clenched her fists and all of the arms currently holding the Navy Captain down tightened their hold, making him cry out in pain.

"Collier… Shot!" Sanji rushed his opponent, springing with his left leg extended towards his intended target on the Navy Captain he was assaulting. The kick met its mark, and he felt quite a lot of cracks and breakage where his foot connected with Sander's neck. A sickening cry of pain was heard as he was then launched into the railings at the back of the deck, officially down for the count. _'He may have been solid, but his neck was fleshy by comparison to the rest of his body.' _He straightened up and looked over in the direction of the felled man against the railings, reaching into his jacket to take out a cigarette before lighting it carelessly as Dredak went sailing over his head, missing him by mere inches.

"U-Ugh…" The Marine soldiers looked at their downed Captains and started to back off from the three pirates who had been responsible.

"Come on, everyone… let's finish this." Sanji grinned slightly, managing to keep his cigarette in his mouth despite lunging at the group of Marines and unleashing his devastating combo of kicks; Collier, Épaule, Côtelette, Selle, Poitrine, Gigot and Mouton Shot. The four crew members who had previously been out for the count found what remained of their strength and got up to help in the fight.

"Supeeeer! You got it, Sanji!" The shipwright was up and grinning, holding out his right arm and pulling it back before yelling, "Strong Right!" and launching it forward again. To the Navy's horror, his arm separated from the rest and came hurtling right at them, mowing down a line of men with ease.

"Thunderbolt…" Nami had risen too, having been preparing a thundercloud over the heads of four Navy soldiers. The four in question slowly looked up to the looming dark cloud above them, and the navigator grinned as she saw the realisation and panic written on their faces. "Tempo!" A thunderbolt came crashing down onto the four men, felling them instantly.

"Luffy needs our help… let's get there as soon as possible!" Usopp spun his giant slingshot around in his grip a few times and then slammed it onto the deck, grabbing the required pellet from one of his pouches and putting it in place, holding up the slingshot and launching the attack straight at the Navy soldiers. "Fire Bird Star!" He cried out, watching as Zoro moved forward through the flames to take down five soldiers simultaneously with a multi-slashing strike in all directions. An arm sprouted from the faces of two soldiers, and punched them in the face at the same time, making both of them fall down, defeated.

"Timing is everything!" Chopped rushed at the last two remaining opponents standing in their way, and mid-run, transformed into his full human 'Heavy Point', gritting his teeth and launching both of his arms at the opponents. "Heavy Gong!" He cried out, effectively punching the two men off the Sunny entirely and into the water around them. The seven of them proceeded to look at one another and nod, hurrying down the deck's stairs to prove their victory to their captain and the scary woman he was fighting.

* * *

><p>Intense mixtures of strange silver energy and rising steam mingled in the air down on the main deck of the Thousand Sunny, as the intense battle between Monkey D. Luffy and Orrosta Avery continued. While the white-haired woman was looking rather fresh, and barely exerting herself from the effort of fighting, her opponent was another story. He was panting heavily and struggling to get back up with every strike she launched at him, but he still managed to do so somehow.<p>

"Heh…" Luffy grinned as he got back to his feet, wiping some more blood from his mouth and holding his hand out in front of his face, looking at the red liquid and then raising his gaze from that to his opponent. "Journeying with us will be fun, you'll see!" He was **still **insisting on that stupid offer of his?! The very statement made Avery's blood boil, and her face contorted into pure anger and annoyance.

"Stop that! Stop treating this fight as if it's a joke!" She yelled, silvery energy flaring from her form once more, as it often seemed to do when she got angry. And during this fight, that had happened quite a lot. _'Why is he so… idiotic?! Does he truly believe that I'll stop the fight and say that, yes, I'll abandon my duties to justice for some stupid impulsive choice?! Not that I'd ever consider it anyway…' _She shook her head firmly, furrowing her brow in sheer agitation. This fight was messing with her head. Before this conflict, everything had been so clear in her mind, regimented, and with pure direction. When she had joined the Navy aged twelve, she envisioned herself rising through the ranks and apprehending criminals. By ascending the ranks rather quickly, she started to gain what she believed to be her own version of freedom. She was able to pick and choose what she did, within reason, as long as it all went in line of the corrupted power base's ideas of justice.

"I'm not treating this fight like a joke." He seemed genuinely confused by her statement, tilting his head to the side and slowly starting to crack the knuckles on his right hand. She had noticed that he had that habit. In all seriousness, he was currently wearing a very neutral expression and seemed to be far from joking. His earlier grin had dissipated when he had seen her anger, and he was now staring at her across a distance of four metres.

"It certainly seems that way." She growled, eyebrow twitching as she launched herself in for another attack. As her left arm arced round, aiming for a left hook at the right side of his face, she found that the barrier between her mind and mouth started to break down. Before she knew it, she was talking loudly, almost yelling. "I am a Navy Vice-Admiral, extremely powerful with many people who respect me and look up to me! I fight for justice and the safety of the general populace! How can you even begin to think that I'd want to join your idiotic pirate crew, to venture the seas without purpose, only to pillage and do as you damn well please?! I'm…" Suddenly, her voice trailed off, and her only visible crimson orb widened.

It was then that she realised that she was about to say that she was free, but stopped herself before saying as much. She knew it, deep down. She was far from free. And on the days when she was left to ponder upon that fact, it really irked her; being tied down to one place, doing things all for the benefit of one organisation, and obeying their corrupt ideals. Of course, it was all in the name of justice, so it was okay to kill and brutally torture pirates who, in all honesty, were no more than petty thieves. They had been in her experience anyway. Luffy picked up on her faltering words, and saw the massive lack of gusto she now had, and casually side-stepped her slowing strike to avoid it as her fist instead impacted with the mast. The whole thing wobbled and swayed, and a few cracks formed around her fist, but it was obvious that most of the power went out of her swing when she had stopped speaking before.

"Oi, Luffy!"

The sound of feet running down the stairs to the upper deck caught her attention, and she turned to see the rest of the Straw Hat crew coming towards them. _'Eh?! What happened to the damn Captains? Don't tell me that they…' _Her brow furrowed in sheer annoyance, giving herself the mental note to never leave something so large within their power again. They were strong, yes, but at least one party out of the three was way too cocky for his own good, one was a literal coward, and the other was almost machine-like. Her eyes were directed mainly at the green-haired swordsman, blonde cook and raven-haired archaeologist, and how they had come from the same direction as everyone else. _'They must have had their hands in this too. This crew are tenacious, I'll give them that.' _She stepped back from the ship's damaged mast and retreated to a safer distance, not liking how the crew were now trying to surround her.

"We managed to get through the three crazy-ass Captains and knocked down the rest of the division too! Not that I like to brag…" Usopp smugly looked at the back of his hand like an artist might do after creating a masterpiece, earning himself a smack to the back of the head by Sanji.

"We managed to get away and help the others. Now it's only her that we have to focus on." The cook explained, rolling his eyes and bringing his cigarette from his lips, throwing it on the ground and stubbing it out by scrunching it beneath his foot. The young woman who he referred to as 'her' sighed and relaxed her guard slightly, her shoulders slowly losing tension as a small smirk touched her lips, shaking off her earlier outburst rather easily. At least she was certain that only the Straw Hat pirate had seen and heard her hesitation.

"While I would love to stay and fight all of you together, I'm afraid that, without a division behind me, this whole escapade would be quite pointless. Otherwise, I would have come alone. After all, I need to get those pitiful men back to Enies Lobby." Avery nodded in the direction of the upper deck, where she was currently hearing pained groans and grunts from her division, as well as pitiful whimpers from one of her captains. She didn't need much information to gather that it was Sander. "Just make sure to remember my name and my face, Straw Hats. Because I'll be back for you." She strode towards the upper deck, brushing past the pirates who, surprisingly enough, didn't even make an attempt to strike her. She had not seen the look Luffy had given the group, which said without words 'Leave her'.

With rather short-tempered outbursts, she managed to rally the members of her division to stand and start retreating onto their ship. She promised a world of hurt to the division members, for being 'pathetic' and 'weak' on their most important mission, and cursed that this was the first assignment that she had failed in her career in the Navy. Her men retracted the grappling hooks, and their ship slowly drifted away from the Thousand Sunny, before slowly disappearing out of sight. Silence rang true on the Straw Hats' ship as they watched their enemies depart. Zoro slowly turned to look at their captain, who had stopped using his Gear Second since his fight had ended.

"You weren't serious, were you? About her joining our crew?" He asked Luffy, seeking assurance from the young man that happened to be the captain of the Straw Hats. Said raven-haired youth turned and looked at his first mate, before grinning widely in that disarming fashion of his and starting to laugh.

"Of course I was serious! I wouldn't joke about something like that!" He may have then been grilled by his crew about his stupid decision, and how he couldn't just have someone so dangerous from the Navy join them while trusting them implicitly. But of course, he merely shrugged all of the abuse off while laughing constantly. But he had been sure, and would stand by his decision. He wanted that woman on his pirate crew.

* * *

><p>* - Nakama in the One Piece universe is often used when referring to one's crew, and is an affectionate term usually used for talking about family, or people close to you.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>The Writer's Notes: <strong>So, this was a long chapter! Hopefully you all didn't mind, and that I wrote some good combat in here. I found it fun, personally, to write. Again, if you liked it, please let me know! If you didn't like it, please give me some constructive feedback. And stay tuned for the next instalment! I don't have a concrete publishing schedule for this story, because I churn out chapters as I feel like it. I hope you guys don't mind that. So you've gotten three chapters in two days! Pretty decent, right? Today's extra tidbits of info are about the three Captains!

* * *

><p><span>Name: <span>Ferrah Herman

Epithet: "Gunner"

Affiliation: Marines

Rank: Captain

Age: 21

Appearance: Herman is a tall man who stands just shy of 6'8", and appears to be very gangly and somewhat awkward-looking due to being so tall and yet so skinny. He always wears a black jumpsuit, on the back of which are white printed kanji for 'Justice', as is common with clothing worn by Navy superiors. He has a full head of violet hair, which is kept longer than his ears in length, and it falls slightly over his right eye. His eyes are angular in shape, and are coloured slate grey.

Personality: He is… a little bit of a livewire, to put it lightly. He has some very childish quirks, like pouting if he does not get his way, and acting hurt a lot of the time when he is insulted by the Vice-Admiral who heads his division. He has quite a cruel sense of humour, and often likes to toy with his opponents. Needless to say, he is very arrogant and sure of his abilities, which can mostly lead to his downfall. But, he is undoubtedly strong. In his own way, he is very keen on justice, and fighting for the Navy has been his dream ever since he was a little kid. He is a naturally open person with his comrades, and likes to talk about everything with them, even if they are very closed and insular. He only insults those that he cares about, while he directly expresses interest in killing his opponents. In his own way, he sees Sander like a brother, and also cares for Avery, whom he has mixed feelings about. He respects her power and strength, but does not care so much for her strange demeanour and cold shoulder.

Abilities and Powers: Herman is a marksman, and uses his hefty hand cannon to deal devastating blows to his opponents. He likes to fight from a distance, so that he is not put in compromising positions and he is able to dominate the fight at his own pace. His accuracy is second to none, and he is able to pinpoint even fast moving targets with ease.

* * *

><p><span>Name: <span>Sander

Epithet: "Wooden Arm"

Affiliation: Marines

Rank: Captain

Age: 37

Appearance: Sander is a somewhat short man, considering how the rest of his male peers are rather tall. He stands at a height of 5'9", and has a medium build that is somewhat stockier than most. He has short brown hair, and dark blue eyes. His face is starting to show small signs of ageing, like laughter lines spreading from the bottoms of his eyes, and creases showing around his lips. He typically wears a pair of tailored brown pants, a white button-up shirt, over which is a white Navy coat bearing the kanji on the back for 'Justice'. He always somehow appears nervous, too, for whatever reason that might be.

Personality: He is a very careful man, and is always treading on egg shells around his companions so that he won't perturb anyone, especially not their Vice-Admiral. He has a rather healthy fear of her, despite her being twenty years younger than him and five inches shorter. He cannot seem to keep still for whatever reason, and always fidgets. His involvement in the Navy is out of necessity as opposed to his desire to be there, and it just so happened that he was rather competent in his fighting skills thanks to his Devil Fruit that he consumed as a young child. He never wants to get on the wrong side of anyone, and that includes getting on the wrong side of the world. He joined the winning side, fighting for justice, in order to save his own hide and hopefully let himself live longer.

Abilities and Powers: As a kid, Sander ate the Moku Moku no Mi, which transformed him into a Tree Man. His whole body is as hard as a sturdy tree, and he is able to manipulate his body to create hard wooden fists, feet and the like to assault his opponents with. A passive ability of this fruit also allows him to heal, due to sap stored within his body that replenishes his wounds quickly. An obvious downside is his weakness to fire, due to his wooden body.

* * *

><p><span>Name: <span>Gandina Dredak

Epithet: "Silent Swordsman"

Affiliation: Marines

Rank: Captain

Age: Unknown, presumed to be in his early thirties due to his appearance

Appearance: Dredak is a true hulk of a man. He stands at a proud 7ft tall, and is intensely muscled up to the point where his body looks like a wall of sorts. He always sports a vacant expression, and appears to be miles away from where he currently is. On a daily basis, he wears a basic black t-shirt, over which he sports a huge white Navy jacket with the kanji for 'Justice' on the back, and a pair of pale blue slacks. His hair is shaved into a buzz-cut, but it is obvious to see that it is pitch black in colour. And his eyes are large and always appear glazed over, but their colour is a startling emerald green. He has slightly tanned skin, making appear to be rather exotic.

Personality: It is largely unknown what Dredak's real persona is, due to him being unable to speak for himself. For whatever the reason, he had his tongue cut from his mouth many years ago. He has gotten rather skilled with reading and writing, however, whether it is down to necessity or down to his own personal interest. He seems to be rather brutish, most of the time, and very mechanised in his movements as if he has performed everything a million times over and over.

Abilities and Powers: Dredak is mostly well-known for his exceptional swordsman skills, and his immense strength required to swing the huge broadsword around that he always brandishes in one hand. He not only has huge power, but he has enhanced speed to surprise his opponent and strike them while they're contemplating how he can move so fast.


	4. Avery's Origins: Part 1

**Writer's Opening Notes: **Hello, and a very good day to you! I hope that you are in fine health while you are about to read the fourth instalment of 'In Pursuit of Dreams', and are chomping at the bit to find out what on earth is going on! From where we last left off, the Vice-Admiral Orrosta "Ivory Heart" Avery has just retreated the Straw Hats' ship, the Thousand Sunny, to make a hasty retreat after her division was taken down. If this had happened any later, she would have defeated Monkey D. Luffy and crushed the main fighting pillar of the crew, managing to apprehend them. As it happened, she was left entirely alone and was forced to pull back. In the heat of her moment during her struggle against the Straw Hat captain, she hesitates when trying to say that she is 'free', because she knows deep down in her heart that she is not. And thus, we re-join the action while Division 38 is retreating to Enies Lobby to give a report of their first failure. **I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE, **but it truly is amazing; hence me writing this fanfic to express my love of it. All OCs are my content, however.

And now, without any further adieu… please enjoy Chapter Four of 'In Pursuit of Dreams'!

* * *

><p><em>I love to sail forbidden seas, and land on barbarous coasts. – Herman Melville <em>

* * *

><p>Following what could be considered one of the worst scoldings ever given by a person in power, Avery stormed from the gathering place below deck and slammed the door shut behind her with such force that it fell right off its hinges, despite being made of heavy metals. Her division were sat in stunned silence, each one sporting injuries from their ordeal aboard the Straw Hat's ship, and wearing a very despondent expression. They were far too stunned to move, let alone start talking about what they had just heard. Their Vice-Admiral's words stung much more than their wounds;<p>

"_You're all useless! The moment we return, every one of you will leave Division 38, and that is final!" _

Herman sat with his head in his hands, his teeth clamped down hard as he tried to stop himself from tearing up like a child. This was just… far too unfair! It was all he ever wanted to become a good Marine, ever since he was a kid, and now that he had finally been getting somewhere, all of his hopes had been washed away just like footprints left in the sand. Gone without a trace. He knew that Avery would give a disgraceful account of his performance, along with his fellow Captains, and that they would probably all be demoted and put into a beginner's division from the fallout. Sander was sat straight-backed at his place next to the younger Captain, unable to bring himself to say anything to try and help the young man. As for him, it didn't hurt him too badly what would happen following their return to Enies Lobby. After all, he did not have high hopes for his future, beyond finally settling down when he was old to live out the rest of his life fishing on a small, quiet island of his own. And he could do that at any time, give or take. The Navy had merely been a means to an end for him.

"Shit…" The violet-haired Captain felt a few bitter tears squeeze themselves from his tear ducts and splash onto the surface in front of him. He waited until he was sure that his tears had forcibly dried up, before raising his head and looking across the room with an angry, pained expression. "This is… this is harsh, even for Avery-sama." To him, it didn't add up correctly. Yes, they had failed, and it was their first failure as a division. But it was to be expected after facing such a high-profile crew. Herman, as usual, had let his arrogance get the better of him, and that had allowed him and his peers to be defeated by the more powerful members on the Straw Hat crew. Maybe the Vice-Admiral was irritated at herself for allowing those members to escape her watchful eye, due to having to put more effort into her fight with Straw Hat himself. Usually, she was indeed filled with a kind of anger and coldness, and she was difficult to get along with at the best of times. But this was extremely uncharacteristic of her.

Nine times out of ten, she always managed to keep a cool head about literally everything. It was one of her positive traits, especially since she was in a position of such high calibre. Nothing much could faze her, and yet, coming away from that battle, she was utterly livid. Something must have happened during her conflict with Straw Hat that had managed to rile her up so much that there was no way it was good for her health. But the division were clueless as to what that was, and it wasn't like they could ask her even if they got the chance to do so. Approaching her now would spell death for them, they were sure of it.

And so, they all remained banded together in that meeting room, wallowing in each other's miseries while largely in silence, hoping upon hope that the Vice-Admiral would see some sense by the time they returned.

* * *

><p>The snowy-haired woman barrelled into her quarters and slammed the door shut behind her with explosive force, but not destroying it this time. In her fit of rage, she crossed the small distance between the doorway and her desk in a few long strides, and flung her arm out across it, knocking everything off and sending it scattering across the floor. Her chest was heaving, and her body was physically shaking; either from pure unadulterated anger, or another source it was unknown. A huge sigh escaped her lips, making her body shudder as she fell down into the chair facing her desk, and she stared with her one visible blood red eye at her reflection shown to her by a mirror she had placed above her desk.<p>

Slowly, she raised her left hand to the back of her head and fiddled around underneath the layers of her pure white hair to unclasp the fastening of her black and red eye patch, gently taking it in her hand and laying it across her desk. Now, a pair of crimson orbs were staring back at her, instead of just one. She blinked a fair amount to try and adjust her left eye, which was covered more often than not, to the light in her quarters. Her reflection looked positively distraught; a mixture between irritation, anger, and deep sadness that she didn't like to see. She had gotten so good at hiding all of her emotions, that seeing herself feeling anything always set her off balance.

Disgusted with her reflection, she turned away and instead looked down at the ground to the number of items she had flung off her desk in her earlier rage. Numerous papers had scattered on the rudimentary wooden floor, as well as pencils, quills and an ink well (which had thankfully not smashed). Everything appeared to be so business-like, aside from one thing. It was a picture frame, which was currently on its front, only revealing the back to her. She gingerly reached down and plucked the picture frame up from the ground, dismayed to find that the glass front had cracked in a jagged line from the top left, down to the bottom right corner of the frame. Inside, it was still visible what picture was displayed to whomever might see it.

The background was lush with huge vegetation and stunning plants of all colours. In the foreground, three figures stood smiling at the camera. One, the largest of the three, was an elderly woman grinning extremely widely, as if something had made her laugh before the picture had been taken. She was slightly crouched, so that the person taking the photograph could fit all of her monstrous form into the picture, and one of her arms was slung around a smaller male figure in front of her, but still large and bulky. Her other arm was wrapped around a much, much smaller figure, lifting the girl clean off the ground and keeping her restrained in her crushing grip. When one looked at the figures closer, they would notice that the boy pictured was nothing more than that, and yet he far exceeded 40ft, with a huge width to his frame of around 30ft. The elderly woman stood behind him must have been taller than 100ft, due to the massive height difference between her and the boy in front. And the girl that she was holding was… particularly miniscule, barely seeming to touch 5ft. She was barely visible in the grip of the elderly woman. Her long snow white locks were stark, and those, along with a pair of bright crimson eyes distinguished her against the pink floral dress that the elderly woman was wearing. The girl was smiling widely, also appearing to be laughing, either at the woman holding her or the boy stood in front. Speaking of the boy, he was looking back at the elderly woman behind him and the girl being held, also laughing, so much so, that his eyes were closed to accommodate for the gleeful expression.

"_Baachaaaaaan! Put me down!" _

"_Sahahahaha! Stop squirming, you little squirt, and smile at the camera!" _

"_Baachan*, she is smiling! She's laughing! Can't you hear her?" _

"_Nyehehehehe!" _

A teardrop fell from her eye as the memory of this photograph flooded back to her, watching as the salty drop of water splashed onto the glass of the picture frame. Her fingers gently brushed the picture frame as she bit her lip to try and stop making a sound, and slowly, her eyes fell shut rather tightly as more tears started to fall. _'Baachan… I've failed you… after all of your lessons and wisdom… I've still made a stupid choice in my life! I should have listened… I should have never gone with the Navy… their hold on me is so tight, that I can feel it suffocating me…' _Lovingly, her fingers traced against the glass where the huge form of the elderly woman was pictured, eternally pictured laughing at the antics of her beloved grandchildren.

* * *

><p><span>Ten Years Previously…<span>

Out of breath, covered in deep bruises, cuts and lacerations, the snowy-haired girl retreated as fast as her little legs could carry her. Her breathing was ragged, and tears flowed down her face freely as she tried to escape her pursuers.

"Where is she, the little freak? Let's find her, nobody speaks bad to us like that! She needs to know her damn place on our island!"

She could hear the loud, booming footsteps behind her, and how quickly they were approaching. Why did this always happen? Why couldn't she keep her mouth shut around them? Even if she didn't, though, they would always stare with those judgemental eyes, and those hateful glares were all it took to get her riled up and start her mouth moving without her mind's permission. Everyone on the island looked at the same. The children pointed and stared, asking their mothers why 'that white-haired girl' had demon eyes and was so small. The adults grumbled outwardly of how she was a disgrace, and that she should have never survived infancy. Her existence was a stain on their proud race. It was always so hurtful, despite hearing it for her whole life; as long as she could remember. How could they be so cruel? Of course, it was because they were **normal. **They weren't born a freak like she was.

They weren't born to be defected, cursed to only grow to human size, in the land of the proud Giant race, Elbaf.

'_I'm nearly… there…' _She thought as she ran, lifting her head from the ground and looking ahead at the great expanse of forest she was entering, outside of the island's main city of commerce. _'When I get there, I'll be safe… I just have to…' _Her inner thoughts were interrupted when she felt one of her feet connect with a rock, eliciting a surprised gasp from her as she lost her balance and went skidding along the dirt path on her front. It took almost everything she had left just to push herself up to her feet, and clumsily start running again.

"There she is! I see her!"

She looked back over her shoulder in terror, seeing her group of four tormentors almost directly behind her, having gained such a large distance already. She faced straight ahead, not wanting to trip and fall again, because they'd definitely get her after that. She could see the tall brown fence up ahead, behind which were the huge stunning flowers that her grandmother kept, and she started to feel hopeful. _'Home… I'm nearly home…' _She thought, almost allowing herself to smile as she continued to sprint. Unfortunately, before she could get much closer, she felt something grabbing and lifting her by the back of her dress. She screamed and writhed in the Giant child's grasp, hoping that someone would hear and come to help her.

"You sure can run fast with those pathetic legs of yours." The boy holding her turned her around to face him, smirking nastily at her as he poked fun at her about her massive lack in stature compared to the other Giant children. Avery started to see red, and before she could stop herself, she had tilted her head back and spat violently in the child's face.

"Put me down!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, hearing her voice echo uselessly around her, and knowing that this wouldn't end well for her.

"Put you down, eh? You should be careful what you wish for!" The Giant boy gathered her more into his hand and proceeded to throw her hard down onto the rough ground, sending her hurtling across the forest floor and making her cough up blood in the process. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, and started to advance on her again, his colossal right fist drawn back and determination painted on his features. "This'll teach you for messing with us, you weirdo!" He roared and started to swing his arm down towards her. All she could do was gaze up and watch, hoping that she didn't die today. On numerous days, she had already been close to death. Just when she thought she was done for, and the boy's fist was almost upon her, she heard a familiar bellow that sent relief flooding through her system.

"OI! THAT'S MY GRANDDAUGHTER! YOU BETTER LEAVE HER THE HELL ALONE BEFORE I COME FOR YOU BRATS!"

The Giant who had swung for her had his punch veer off and miss her by a hair, before picking himself up and looking at the approaching woman madly swinging a huge broom over her head as if it were a weapon.

"L-Let's get out of here!" He choked and turned, starting to run along with his other friends, away from this place and to safety. Avery slowly lolled her head over to the side, seeing her grandmother's huge feet engulf her vision, and she allowed herself to smile.

"T-Thank you… baachan…" Her voice was no louder than a whisper, and she tried to haul herself up to see her grandmother fully, but her movement was inhibited. She cried out and held a hand against her ribs, and she noticed that she was starting to have trouble breathing. Her breaths came out in wheezes as she desperately kept fumbling to get up, whining and wincing at the sheer agony.

"Oh, Avery, my dear… what did they do to you this time?" Her grandmother's voice was soft and gentle as she knelt down beside her granddaughter, gently picking the girl up in her huge hands and carrying her back to the large red-bricked house up ahead. "It seems like they've broken a lot of ribs… I'll get you treated right away when we get home." Her hazel eyes were full of concern and love, and as the white-haired girl in her grasp looked up at her, she truly felt safe and warm, protected, and most importantly… loved.

They entered the quaint house, which was built large for obvious reasons. The comforting smell of cooking meat and pie hit Avery as soon as they entered, and she was taken upstairs to her grandmother's bedroom so that she could be treated for her injuries. Today's damage equalled up to four broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, and harsh trauma to the spine, as well as her other cuts, bruises and wounds that she had gained from her scuffle earlier in the day. As she was being bandaged up, a very ginger knock came at the door, and a boy popped his head round the door curiously.

"Baachan, is Avery-nee** okay?" He asked, concern evident in his tone as he made his way into the room. He took a seat beside the bed, looking down at his older sister worriedly with his hands clasped together and shaking. "I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you, nee-chan…" Tears started to form in his eyes as he saw the state of the snowy-haired girl currently covered head to toe in bandages.

"Avery will be fine, Calix. Don't you worry about her. She just needs plenty of bed rest and loads of baachan's home cooking." The elderly woman smiled kindly at her grandson, covering the girl in a blanket made for her size. The comment about home cooking made the snowy-haired girl laugh weakly, the characteristic sound echoing in the beam-clad room, 'Nyehehehe'.

"It's not up to you to protect me, Calix, you baka***." She looked up at her younger brother and smiled fondly at him. He knew by now that when she called him an idiot, it was only done so in jest and she never meant it harshly. He just worried about her lot, and she knew that. It made her feel bad, to make him worry so much. He was only young after all. His fourth birthday had barely been three days ago. Her crimson eyes slowly lost their joviality, however, as she averted her gaze outside of the wide window instead, looking at a far-off forest on the other side of the island. "It should be my job to protect you. I'm the big sister, after all. But I can't… I'm stunted and defected…" She always came to this realisation every day, and it made her sadder every time. There was nothing she could do about her weak, tiny body, and there was no way for her to stand up to anyone any bigger than an ant. And even ants on the island were bigger than her.

"Now, stop this stupid talk of yours." Her grandmother scolded, lightly tapping the girl on the head and narrowing her eyes down at her small form. "If you listen to those idiots in the city, you'll start becoming like them. You are not stunted, and you most certainly are not defected. You're you, and you're unique. Special." A slow smile started to form on the elderly woman's face as she seemed to start hatching a plan inside her mind, and she started to chuckle boisterously.

"What? What is it, baachan?" The girl asked impatiently, frowning as she tried to figure out what it was that made her grandmother seem so cheeky and mischievous all of a sudden. She watched the older woman raise a finger to her nose and tap it, a gesture that meant 'mind your own business', usually, or 'never you mind'. Something along those lines.

"You'll see. Now, baachan prescribes you with four weeks of solid bed rest, to fully recover. When you're fully healed, there's something that I want to show you. I think you'll like it." She got to her feet, from previously sitting on the end of the bed, and placed a strong hand on Calix's shoulder, ushering him out of the room to allow his older sister time to rest. Before he left the room, however, he paused in the doorway and looked back at the snowy-haired girl to smile warmly at him.

"Avery-nee… I love you." He told her sincerely, his face lighting up considerably when he saw her smile widely at him and with such brightness. It had been too long since he had seen that smile.

"And I love you too, Calix-otouto****." She continued to smile brightly as she heard her younger brother's delighted laugh and its distinctive sound, 'Kehihihihi'. All Giants had distinctive laughs of some kind, and even she had one. She watched her brother leave the room and close the door behind him, and she once more directed her attention outside the window at the lands beyond. _'One day… one day I'll be strong enough to protect him, and baachan too. Then I'll become stronger than any Giant on Elbaf! That'll show them… for mocking me, and making me feel like less than dirt.' _She silently made the vow, both of her hands curling into firm fists as the sun started to set on that fateful day.

* * *

><p>* - Baachan: An affectionate term used in Japan for referring to one's grandmother.<p>

** - Nee or Neechan: An affectionate term for referring to one's older sister.

*** - Baka: A universal term for referring to someone being a 'fool', or an 'idiot'.

**** - Otouto or Otousan: An affectionate term for referring to one's younger brother.

* * *

><p><strong>The Writer's Ending Notes: <strong>DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! I'm not sure if you guys saw this coming or not, but yes, here were have it. Avery's past is starting to be revealed. I'll be doing these flashbacks in a few parts, because they're ultimately pivotal to the story and its direction. Hope you all like it! If not, leave me some reviews or PMs. I'd love to try and improve my writing! Until next time, everyone! Oh, and if you have any questions, I'll answer them in the next chapter (which I'll be working on to publish by late tonight or tomorrow).

Much love!


	5. Avery's Origins: Part 2

**The Writer's Opening Notes: **Well, I didn't receive any questions since the last chapter being posted, so I'm going to steam straight ahead with this next instalment! Last time, we witnessed a break in time; taking us back ten years, to Avery's childhood where she grew up on the island of Elbaf, famed for its strong Giant population. She was born defected, and only able to reach a regular human's height and proportions, and it made her an outcast on the island. It is unknown whether her parents are around, but we met her grandmother who takes care of her, and her healthy Giant brother, Calix. We will re-join the story after a month has passed, to see what her grandmother wishes to show her.

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE! **I am merely writing a fanfic about it. Now please, without any further ado, please enjoy Chapter 5 of 'In Pursuit of Dreams'!

* * *

><p><em>A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. – John A Shedd<em>

* * *

><p><span>Continuing the story Ten Years Previously…<span>

"Come, come, Avery! Hurry up and eat the rest of your breakfast. Today… is the day!" The elderly woman was grinning insanely as she bustled around the large kitchen, washing dishes and handing them to Calix to dry, before they were put away. Her hair (which had once been pure blonde) was streaked with grey, and was piled in a very tight bun atop her head. Some strands brushed the sides of her face, to give it a slightly more unruly look, such was characteristic to her. The elderly woman's name was Orrosta Rei, and she was the grandmother to the two children currently within her residence.

"… _I hope you understand, mother. One day, it will be the right time. But not now." _

"_I still can't believe that you're leaving them! Your children!" _

"_I… I can't explain it any better than I already have…" _

"_Oh, I understand it perfectly well… but that doesn't mean that I have to like it. Go ahead, go on! Get out of here!" _

That exchange she had shared with her only son still rang true in her mind to this day, and she was reminded of it every time she saw the faces of her two grandchildren. _'Griffith… I hope that you know what you're doing.' _She thought, watching as the white-haired girl sat at her own-sized table started to rush and choke down the bowl of scrambled eggs and bacon that had been given to her. _'With every day you are away, they will grow to hate you more for leaving them… they may not know it yet, but when they grow older, they will.' _She scrubbed at a monstrous cooking pan, cleaning it out and then handing it to her grandson.

"Come on, come on! Chop chop!" She clapped her hands loudly before wiping the large appendages on the front of her large apron, grinning as she heard the grunts of protest aimed at her from Avery. She untied her apron and hung it on a peg hanging near the door which led down into the pantry, and straightening her long-sleeved shirt and pair of dark brown cargo pants to make sure that she hadn't splashed any egg on them.

"I'm trying, baachan! But you gave me too much food again!" The girl whined between her mouthfuls, managing to quickly get her way through the huge bowl of nourishment. It had become a running joke of sorts that her grandmother would always prepare Giant-sized portions for her, and she would have to eat all of it at every meal. The woman's reasoning was due to the fact that it would make her grow big and strong, and help her reach a growth spurt. It was a nice thought, but Avery already knew that she wouldn't surpass a height of 6ft in her lifetime. The doctors on Elbaf were very good at predicting what height Giants would be when they were fully grown, and they had immediately identified a birth defect within her, where chromosomes had been damaged in her DNA, instead coding her to that of a human in terms of height and growth was concerned. Luckily, her enhanced strength and immense power that came with being a Giant were largely unaffected, but then there was her other birth defect. Oh yes. She had been born with two.

The first had massively inhibited her growth, and would continue to do so for the rest of her life. As mentioned previously, it was to do with her DNA when she was forming in the womb, the doctors assumed, and how some of the chromosomes were damaged, and therefore taken out of the equation; thus, leaving her with human DNA. Her second birth defect had been the fact that she had a mild case of albinism. Her snow white hair was no natural gene. She had seen pictures of her mother and father, and had seen that the former had a full head of bright red hair, while the latter had dark blonde. It explained why her brother had inherited their father's blonde hair, which at the moment, was bright blonde due to his age. All blondes were born with brighter locks that turned darker with age. Avery's albinism was, luckily, very mild, and the condition had not affected her eyesight, nor the pigmentation in her eyes (which she inherited from her mother's father). It had, however, affected her ability to stand the heat. Because albinos had such a fair complexion, and lacked melanin, they could sometimes struggle with hotter conditions. She was often left immobilised in hot weather.

At her current age of seven, she had already grown to a height of 5'4", roughly, but had not grown any more since she had turned three years old. She didn't think that she would hit any other growth spurts for a long time, or at all, and didn't like to get her hopes up. Either way, all of the food was good for her, and recovering from all of her injuries that she often got.

"Calix, my dear, be a good boy and finish cleaning up the kitchen. Then you can come out to the garden with us." Rei smiled at her grandson and reached a hand out to ruffle his longish locks. Following this affectionate gesture, she turned and walked through the kitchen-diner area of the house, towards a door that led out into the large garden that she kept. At the front, huge flowers native to Elbaf were always in pristine condition, and when in bloom, their multi-coloured petals were always a marvel to behold. Around the back, the grass was kept trimmed very short and neat, but was bright green and obviously very healthy. It was just a lawn area, if anything, a nice place to relax and recline in the numerous garden loungers that she had out here.

"Okay, baachan!" The boy replied cheerily, starting to put plates, pots and pans away in their correct locations. He was used to such small chores, because they were commonplace around the house, and he liked to be able to help out. He glanced over at his older sister as she finished eating, at last, and heaved a slight groan that gave away the fact that she was extremely full. She collected her bowl and cutlery, before taking them over to her brother and handing them up to him.

"Thanks, otouto!" She called to him as she started to run out of the house, catching the door before her grandmother could close it. She moved out onto the lawn, looking around at the garden and admiring it. Since she had been bed-ridden a month ago, she had missed coming out here to relax and watch the movements of the local forest around them. Of course, when one ventured through the forest that their house was close to, they would come to the island's Forbidden Area, where no-one was allowed to venture. Legend told of a scarily stunning forest, with trees that touched the sky, poisonous plants, rampaging animals and all in all, terror beyond what anyone could imagine.

Once outside, Rei moved to the biggest clearing that the garden had to offer. She was still grinning like a bit of an idiot, and occasionally laughing to herself as she watched the curious and confused face of her granddaughter.

"Alright. Can you remember the stories I used to tell you about my youth?" She posed the question to her granddaughter, who thoughtfully placed a finger to her chin before nodding in confirmation. The girl did not speak, however, and obviously wanted her grandmother to continue. "I was once on a pirate crew, oh yes I was! And we were fearless! That's how I met your grandfather. Well, while I was on one of my many voyages around the world, we became stranded on a hostile jungle island; worse than Elbaf. Here, the forests and jungles give us bounties and we live peacefully. Everything on this island we landed on was hostile, and very soon, our once-large pirate crew started to lose force. So many men and women died there… your grandfather and I had the advantage of being Giants, so we were able to fight and survive. But soon, it started to become harder… are you still listening?"

The question startled Avery who had been listening intently to her grandmother's tale, and she blinked wide-eyed before nodding her head in confirmation. Rei chuckled and slowly lowered herself into a crouch, so that she could speak to her granddaughter, as opposed to above the girl's head. Even then, she was far taller.

"I was separated from my crew, and was left alone in the forest for a whole three weeks. I started to hear voices, and thought that I was going crazy. But they weren't human voices. They were voices from around me, the forest itself and the creatures living there. Intrigued, I looked deeper into the matter, and started to meditate for long periods of each day to try and make some sense of what was going on. Energies, strange ones, of an unknown origin, started to fill me; I could feel them. It was on that island that I learnt about the Life Force of every living creature. It is energy, borne of our very existence, that makes us. When harnessed, I started to realise that it was a truly powerful tool." She closed her eyes, as if she was going back to the very time she was retelling. Her granddaughter was staring at the Giant woman with sheer wonder and intrigue, unable to believe what she was hearing. But she believed her grandmother implicitly, and knew that she was being told the truth.

"I started training, and began to harness a raw form of this hidden potential. I could produce materials, feeding from my own life force, and begin to make attacks of unbelievable potential. Inspired by the nature around me, I drew from that and started to incorporate it into my fighting style, along with the Life Force itself. It resides in six points of our body, and for it to be used, those six points have to be invoked." She paused, and shamelessly started to roll up her shirt, which startled Avery and made her cry out in surprise and almost shying away from the sight. But when she opened her eyes (not having realised she had closed them to begin with), she saw her grandmother's back facing her instead. Quite the extraordinary sight made her gasp in sheer awe. A huge pattern of a six-pointed star was staring back at her from the flesh, and it was clear to see, when inspected closer, that it appeared like… it had been carved into the skin itself.

"Baachan, that looks painful!" The girl commented, unable to stop herself from smiling when she heard her grandmother's laughter and saw the old woman's grin.

"Of course it was painful! I finally found my crew, and shared with them what I had learnt. I was convinced that, after my many weeks of self-reflection, that I had found the answer to invoke each six points of my life force. I had our crew's doctor carve this mark into my back, which encompasses every point in the body. While that in itself did nothing, it was painful enough. Then, I had to train, and find my own way to bring the energy from within. Since I created it, this art and way of fighting is still entirely unique to me." She explained, and suddenly, she got to her feet following the point when she unrolled her shirt to its full length once more.

"Show me, baachan! Show me what that cool stuff can really do!" Avery was intrigued to know more, or rather, see more of what her grandmother had been talking about. Life Force… energy… spiritual powers… it all seemed rather hard to grasp. She wanted to be able to see it physically happening in front of her.

"I thought you'd never ask." Rei grinned and turned to face the forest which lay behind the house, and therefore in front of them at this moment. It was only a short distance away, but even then, it was quite the trek to reach it due to the terrain and uphill climb. Her body was on an angle, half with her back to her granddaughter, and half with her front facing her. Slowly, and with great purpose, she raised her huge arms and then clasped her hands together at her chest, squeezing them tight so that each hand was holding the other. Ghostly green energy started to fill the area, and it slowly became obvious to Avery that it wasn't a strange kind of fog.

It was rising from her grandmother.

The mystery energy continued to grow in solidity and quantity until it entirely covered the elderly woman currently harnessing its power. A hand was suddenly seen from in amongst the mass of green power, palm facing outwards at the forest ahead of them, and Rei's lips started to move.

"Life Force Art…" Rei's eyes opened in a flash, a bright cyan colour in amongst a world of green shifting energy. Said power was starting to gather to her outstretched hand, flooding there and seeming to condense massively into an orb of sorts. "Colliding Verdant!" Her shout echoed in the otherwise open area, and the orb that had formed at her palm suddenly flew forward at an alarming pace, hurtling straight for a huge tree on the outskirts of the forest. The green energy made contact with the tree and shook the entire thing before a huge cracking sound was heard, and the tree came crashing down.

Avery's face was a picture of utter shock. Her mouth was hanging open, and her eyes were wide while she tried to comprehend what she had just saw. Slowly, she closed her mouth a huge grin started to overtake her face itself, while her joyous and amazed laughter filled the air.

"That was so, so, so, SO amazing, baachan!" She exclaimed, her eyes seeming to sparkle as she looked at the space where the huge tree had been previously. Cogs were whirring in her mind, slowly putting things together as she realised what kind of intense power she could have if she learnt that strange ability from her grandmother. _'It would hurt… but I just know that this is perfect for me! I can do whatever I want from it, and it will all come from me! Well sure, baachan will teach me the basics and perform that weird engraving on my back, but I'd make my own style and become super strong!' _Her inner thoughts were much like excited chatter while she barely restrained herself from bouncing up and down happily on the spot. This was it; the answer she had been searching for. This would be the ticket to her ultimate strength, and she would show the island just how fearful she was. She was aware of how her grandmother was feared and greatly respected, which was why whenever she made it home, she was instantly safe from all of the abuse for fear of the locals further angering the famed Orrosta Rei. "You have to teach me! I'll do anything, baachan, anything! I'll endure that horrible invoking thing, with the carving, and I'll, I'll… eat more veggies and greens! Yeah! And I'll do all of my chores and not give them to Calix, and, and-…"

She had been cut off from the feeling of a large finger pressing itself against her lips, and most of her face. Her motor mouth of the moment had effectively been stopped, and now there was a rather concerned look in Rei's eyes as she looked at her ecstatic granddaughter. It had been the woman's hope that the girl would want to learn the art, because of the immense amount of strength and latent ability it would unlock in the user, but that didn't make her less worried. She had been forced to undergo the training all alone, over one hundred years ago, and she didn't want her granddaughter to undergo the same thing, so of course she would be there to help the girl along the way. But, it was a painful procedure to undergo for anyone, let alone a seven year old girl. Rei herself had been an adult, and she had been unable to hold back her screams of pain at the treatment.

"While it gladdens my heart that you want to learn my secret art, it also worries me. You need to promise me, Avery, that you are deadly serious about this decision. This is no game." Her tone had lowered drastically, to emphasise the sheer seriousness and magnitude of the situation. In all of her time growing up with her grandmother, the young girl had never seen the woman so… serious. Rei was always upbeat, exciting and funny. Avery wasn't aware that her grandmother had the capacity to be almost scary and unbelievably solemn.

Without a word, the girl gently pushed her grandmother's finger away from her lips and lowered her head so that her snowy white locks covered her eyes, shadowing her eyes from sight. Soundlessly, she raised her left arm until her hand was in front of her face, and she extended her ring finger to her mouth, pad first. Her grandmother's eyes widened as she saw the familiar stance, and her blood started to run cold. _'This is…' _She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her granddaughter opened her mouth, so that her sharp canines were visible, and bit down hard and unyielding on the tip of her ring finger until blood started to ooze from the puncture wound. It dripped down her finger, enough for her to use the finger to cross over her heart, smearing the blood over her pale pink sun dress where her heart was beating beneath. She proceeded to hold her hand out, pressing her whole palm, ring finger first, against her grandmother's knuckle.

Rei felt the girl's warm blood on her knuckle, and could only stare in utter awe as she raised her hand to see the small smear of blood, now formed in a cross, due to the movement Avery had made with it. _'A Giant's pact… only broken in death…' _She could feel tears rushing to her eyes, and in that moment, her respect for her granddaughter only served to soar even higher.

"I may not be a real Giant… but I know the importance of that pact, baachan. I will honour it, forever, and give you my word that this is what I want." The girl nodded firmly and allowed herself to smile again after being so serious, reaching out and hoisting herself up onto her grandmother's hand and prompting the older woman by tugging at her arm. "So, let's do it! As soon as possible! I want to learn! I need to get stronger, so that I can show everyone on the island what I can really do!" She insisted impatiently, something which made her grandmother chuckle.

"Oh, my dear, of course you are a real Giant. More so than everyone on this island, I feel. You may not have the height, but you have the heart. And that is so much more important than size can ever be." Rei smiled warmly and got to her feet again, holding her granddaughter in the palm of her hand and starting to laugh when she saw the disgruntled and confused expression of the girl she was holding gently.

"Yeah, whatever! Let's hurry!"

"You have to wait until tomorrow. I need to brush up on my knowledge, and make sure that I know what I'm doing before we begin the procedure and training."

"Oh, um… yeah, that's important. I'd rather that this didn't go wrong!"

"In the meantime, we have to go and meditate and begin teaching in theory."

"UGH! THAT SOUNDS SOOOOOO BORING! BOOOOO!"

"DO YOU WANT TO LEARN OR NOT, YOU UNGRATEFUL CHILD?!"

* * *

><p><strong>The Writer's Ending Notes: <strong>Well here we go, everyone! Chapter 5 completed! I apologise if you aren't liking these flashbacks as much as the present day story, but these parts are vital to understanding Avery's motivations, powers and hang-ups. Besides, there are countless cute moments and I get to show her old self. As you can probably tell, she's VERY different back then, when compared to how she is now. If you have any questions, leave them in a review or PM them to me; I'll be happy to answer them! Please leave reviews, everyone! I want to know that my writing is actually being enjoyed! Anyway, until next time! (I hope to have the next chapter up in the next couple of days, probably Tuesday or Wednesday).

* * *

><p><em>Life Force Trivia!<em>

There are only two known users of the bizarre art, due to its origin stemming from the original user, Orrosta Rei. As such, it is a very versatile art that can be used and customised in any way the user wishes to. Rei used long-distance attacks, primarily, with this ability, and defensive abilities, whereas her granddaughter develops a more physical approach to using Life Force Art. Her attacks also focus around nature, and the colour of green, due to the origins of the art itself being from nature. All of Avery's techniques and attacks centre around the colour of white, and more divine focuses like 'ethereal', the attack she used on Luffy.


	6. Avery's Origins: Part 3

**The Writer's Opening Notes: **Good afternoon to you all! Well, it's afternoon for me as I write this. I hope that all of you are well, and have been enjoying the week so far. Many thanks to CSpacian who reviewed my story! Any feedback given, as long as it is instructive and constructive, is always welcomed. I'll be taking into account what was said, and apply it to this chapter, and chapters for the future too. Last time, Orrosta Rei showed her granddaughter a great art, which she herself had developed over the course of her life after its discovery. The young Avery is truly excited by this prospect, and how such monstrous power can be generated without height discriminations. She is, of course, eager to learn it for herself and place herself on a somewhat equal footing with her Giant oppressors in the city.

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE! **I am merely writing within its universe, and only claim the OCs as my own. Now, enjoy!

* * *

><p>"<em>You have to get lost before you are found." – Jeff Rasley<em>

* * *

><p>Silence. It encompassed and enveloped the form of the small girl currently sat with her legs folded and her hands resting on her knees, eyes closed serenely and seeming to be gone from this world. She barely breathed. She didn't even move the slightest fraction as she sat there, in the centre of an entirely dark room, assumed to be alone.<p>

Inside her mind, it was far from quiet and peaceful as it was outside. Dozens of voices, without a discernible origin, echoed in her thoughts; reaching for her, using her as their medium, and asking her to release them. But she did nothing. She merely let the voices wash over her, acknowledging their presence but never responding to them. This was part of the set of instructions left to her by her grandmother, so that her mind might be prepared for the hard part of the training that would follow. She had to be in tune with everything around her, what everything sounded like and felt like within her mind. It was a strange feeling…

It was as if these strange entities were so close to her that she could reach out and touch them, but they were oddly distant too; as if they were swirling around her instead of getting near to her.

"_Remember your breathing. It must be slow and controlled, in through the nose, and out through the mouth. Respiration gives you clarity. It opens your mind, and your body." _

If she were not serious about this training, she would have sneered at her grandmother for those seemingly philosophical words. She was, however, entirely prepared for everything that would be thrown her way, and she had to prove it by enduring all of this boring preparation. At least it gave her the time to reflect on her short life, and how she felt about those around her in more depth. While she was angered greatly by the hurtful words of the other Giants (aside from her grandmother and brother), and there was no justification for what they had done to her, she could start to let that… slip away. Glide over her head.

This meditation business was extremely relaxing.

From the corner of the darkened room, her grandmother was watching the girl's progress. Thus far, she had been extremely impressed with Avery's dedication, and she even allowed herself to smile as she saw how calm and collected the girl seemed to be at present. _'She seems to have found an inner peace that she would have otherwise never achieved. Not with all of the hatred that has always surrounded her…' _She despised the way in which the rest of the Giant population on the island treated her granddaughter, but there wasn't anything she could do to change their opinions. It was down to the girl herself, and right now, she was already very close to taking those steps.

The elderly woman quietly struck a match and held it close to the wick of a nearby candle, waiting until it caught the light before blowing out the match and setting it aside. The candle flickered into life, casting a soft light around the room. As if sensitive to the light, the girl who was meditating at the centre scrunched her eyes briefly before her bodily posture started to tense, and her eyes slowly opened to look around.

"Eh? Baachan?" She questioned, obviously dazed. Her eyes seemed foggy, and still somewhere far away from her current consciousness. She was undoubtedly experiencing some strange feelings at present. She was in a stage of transition, between the real world and the layers of a different one, in which she could hear every living organism. Slowly, Avery started to come round. Her crimson orbs started to gain focus once more, and they flitted quickly around the room to acquaint herself with her surroundings. She rose from her seated spot on the ground, and looked towards her grandmother with a questioning look.

"You have made great progress." Rei smiled at her granddaughter, shifting from her seat and moving towards the little white-haired girl. She slowly moved to kneel with one knee, putting herself at a more comfortable level to talk to her. "And now… you must know what is to come." Suddenly, her tone grew solemn, and it appeared as if the girl understood.

Without a word, Avery nodded and slowly started to clench her fists, inhaling a deep breath through her nose, and letting it slide through her parted lips; effectively calming herself. She had known that this would come. She had insisted so heavily on it yesterday after seeing the spectacle of the Life Force Art in full power, and she had been preparing for it ever since.

"Now that your mind and body are in balance, it is time to invoke each of the six points around your body to draw in other life force, and to harness your own. It is not too late to refuse and turn back now. This is a dangerous procedure… it was performed upon me by a trained doctor, which I am not. But I am the founder of this art, and by that token, I can infuse and unlock your life force potential." The old woman paused, looking deep into Avery's eyes to try and seek out any waver in her determination. Despite searching, she could not find even the slightest doubt in those blood red orbs. "You must choose."

Her granddaughter nodded firmly, squaring up so that her lithe frame was as tall as it was ever going to be, taking another deep breath and exhaling in the same manner that she had been practising for the whole day.

"I choose to undergo this procedure, and I promise you, baachan… that I won't die." In amongst her strong little speech, a small smirk found its way to her lips, and she laughed heartily before banging a hand on her chest firmly. "If I died, how could I get those bastards to notice me?" Her determination was palpable, and it had Rei smiling somewhat in spite of herself. That small smile was soon gone, however, and replaced with a steely look of firmness.

"Then you are ready. Come." She gestured with her huge palm towards a large desk situated at the back of the room, and on her way over to said desk, she reached over and picked up the candle she had lit earlier. Upon reaching the desk, and placed the large candle at the far left-hand-side of the desk, to illuminate it better. Avery hoisted herself up onto the monstrous desk, facing the wall for a brief moment instead of lying down on her stomach. Her gaze was fixed on a point on the wall, and she stayed there, un-moving for a minute or so before nodding and kneeling down onto the desk, eventually lying flat on its surface with her back facing her grandmother. Another candle was located on the far right-hand-side of the desk, and that too was lit, so that a large pool of bright light engulfed the desk area.

"Is this going to hurt?" The little girl asked, but not with fear in her voice. It was just asking for an affirmation, already knowing how painful it was going to be, and yet still searching for the confirmation that it was indeed going to be excruciating. A low whistle left the lips of Rei as she picked up a black-handled knife, which seemed to be of toy size in her huge fingers. The blade was around the length of an average human's hand down to the elbow, and it had a scarily pointed tip. To avoid fumbling with the blade during the procedure, the Giant woman added a specially moulded handle grip over the original, so that it fitted better in her hand to work with it.

"More than I can explain." She nodded, gently unfastening the back of the green medical gown that her granddaughter was wearing for the procedure. Avery took her arms out of the sleeves and settled the material in front of her, so that none of it would get in the way during the procedure itself. Green energy started to flood from Rei's body, and channelled itself into the knife, making the blade swirl with the power that would soon be awakened within the girl on the operating table. "Bite something, if I were you. It will help with the urge to scream." Rei suggested, eyeing up the blade she was holding to make sure that everything was in order, and therefore giving the girl chance to make this easier for herself.

There was nothing on the desk that would serve for biting; they were either too large for Avery to fit in her mouth, or too far away for her to reach. In the end, she settled for gathering up her medical gown into her mouth, and biting down on the green cloth instead. In spite of the sound advice from her grandmother, there was nothing that could prepare her for the pain when it did come.

It felt like it was searing, burning, much hotter than the surface of the sun. She choked and gagged on the rags she was biting down on, trying to hold back from screaming. Her eyes were screwed shut by this point, and tears started to slip and slide down her cheeks, splashing onto the desk and the medical gown she was chewing on. Her body started to writhe on the desk, searching for something, anything, to stop the pain from happening to her. She had to **escape. **

As if she thought that she was going to die, her short life started to flash in front of her eyes. Instead of the warm memories, of her grandmother's smile, her brother holding her hand, and all of the love she felt for them, hatred flooded through her veins and made her start to see red.

"_Mama, who's that? She's so small, and she looks like… one of those bad people from the stories…" _

"_Stop pointing at… it…"_

"_You're a freak! My papa said that you should have never lived!" _

"_Heh, take that, you weirdo!" _

"_She's a disgrace, that one… the doctors should have smothered her and removed her from our line…" _

"_They say that her parents were so ashamed by her that they fled Elbaf altogether…" _

Her eyes flashed open, and she grunted loudly into the rag she was biting hard. Her hands buried themselves into the surface of the desk itself, making it crack and splinter, with a strange, ethereal energy flying from her. She was unaware of this much, but she used her new hand holds to help her deal with the pain. That, and the pain she harboured within her. She had a good reason to be angry, and blind with rage at all that her own people had done to her. And she would make them realise that she had her own existence, and that she was strong. No matter what, she would prove it to them.

'_What?... what on earth-…' _Her grandmother watched as, before her eyes, great forms of life force already started to flood and seep from Avery's body. She had barely invoked the procedure, and she was already showing such great potential. _'She has… such huge amounts of life force! I didn't think that this was possible!' _The knife she was wielding, slicing through the flesh in her granddaughter's back, continued to flow with green life force energy. She was currently carving the large circle, which helped to contain the amount of life force compressed into a person's body; either naturally, or artificially. Within this circle, she would then draw the six-pointed star, which would invoke the six points of energy around the body, to encompass them, and make them one.

"_Worthless…" _

"_Without a doubt the biggest disappointment to ever stain our proud race…" _

"_Can she even be called a Giant?" _

"_She's not even a human, that girl. She's just a defect." _

"_I'll never acknowledge her as one of our own, for as long as I live…" _

The girl's fists remained curled around the makeshift handholds in the desk she had created with her brute strength, and the outlet of her life force. Aside from the grunt she had elicited from before, she had not made any other sounds. It was painful, unbelievably so, but compared to the damage inflicted upon her heart, and her mind, this was nothing. She could handle it. Because she knew that afterwards, she would be strong enough to take back her heritage.

As the procedure continued, Rei was astounded by her granddaughter's sheer tenacity and power of will. She was able to stop herself from crying out in pain, and why? She would not be judged if she succumbed to the pain. Was she trying to prove something to herself? The elderly woman had finished carving the outer circle, and then began with the first point of the star. _'Head sphere…' _She started at the top of the girl's spine, inside the circle she had carved, and drew it carefully down to the right side, straightening it out to a point and drawing it back. _'Strength sphere…' _She had completed the invocation of two points out of six, and the work was exhausting for her. The sheer concentration and the fact that she had to uphold her life force energy for so long was hard.

While Avery currently felt very weak and powerless, being at the mercy at her grandmother's knife, she had never felt more alive and powerful. She could feel a strange power surging through her body, and it made her realise just how strong she could be if she put her mind to it. The whole time, she maintained steady breathing to the best of her ability, her body shaking slightly with the effort of doing so, with sweat dripping from her body.

'_Endurance sphere…' _The knife continued to slice through the flesh like it were scorching hot and were powering through butter, and Rei continued to keep her focus in spite of the huge exertion of this procedure. Not only was she carving up the symbol on her granddaughter's back, she was invoking and unlocking the girl's inner potential, and bringing it forth. She had completed half of the star, and was beginning on the fourth, her eyes never raising from the intensive work. _'Agility sphere…' _Only two points remained, and that would be the end of this brutal work. She started to pant slightly, sweat beading on her forehead as she continued to work tirelessly. It had to be done slowly to avoid any slip-ups, but it was hard to maintain this practise for so long.

All aspects of time had long since left Avery, and she had no idea how long it had been since the procedure started, nor how long it would take to finish. She merely had to keep coping, and keep hanging on, in spite of what her body told her. It wanted to give in, and stop this fight against the pain. It wanted her to black out, and eventually die from the blood loss. She was vaguely aware of the feeling of blood dripping from her back, and trickling down her arms. She briefly turned her head as she felt something warm slide down her shoulder, her eyes widening as she saw her own blood.

'_Spiritual sphere…' _The only part of Rei that wasn't shaking was her hand currently holding the knife, and it was taking all of her concentration to stop herself from doing so. She was nearly there, having completed five out of six points. Her wrist moved and the knife made its point, before turning and slowly bridging the gap between the last point and the one from the beginning.

'_Heart sphere…' _

True to its name, the sphere that encompassed the heart resided over the left side of the upper body, where it was truly beating on the other side of the girl's body. Finally, the elderly woman met the final point to where she had started, and removed the knife quickly, slamming it down onto the desk and slumping as she looked at her handiwork. It was symmetrical, and it matched the picture she had been working from perfectly, when working to scale, of course. What she had been working from was a photograph of her bare back, so she had to bear in mind that her granddaughter was considerably smaller than her.

The girl herself had stopped moving, whereas before she had been shivering and shaking violently, and she laid still on the desk's surface. Blood dripped and flowed from the carved wounds, but most importantly, was the spectacle that leapt up before Rei. A huge pressure, borne from Avery herself, flew out in all directions. The energy was pure silver, mixed with white, and this was the girl's life force. _'It truly is incredible…' _She gently pressed a finger to the side of the girl's neck, feeling a gentle pulse present. _'That she not only survived, but her inner life force is so strong. Maybe that is why she was able to pull through the operation. But her willpower… that too is nothing to take out of the equation.' _

A warm smile spread across the old woman's face as she set to work on cleaning Avery's back, and bandaging up the freshly inflicted wounds so that the bleeding would eventually stop. The wounds had been created by a foreign body, and would try and heal for the first few days. But eventually, they would stop, because of the life force it invoked. Where the knife had cut through the skin, the carved lines themselves were black, appearing scorched or burnt, and that was a side-effect of this treatment only. The life force supplied by Rei had made sure of that.

'_I'm so proud of you… Avery…' _She looked down at the little girl lovingly after bandaging her up. No words could express the pride she felt for her granddaughter at that moment, and she had received a glimpse of the girl's future by examining and bearing witness to the sheer amount of latent life force she had locked away in her body. But now, it had been tapped into and allowed to spread and be free within her body.

"B-Baachan…" The snowy-haired girl coughed, and slowly cracked open one eye to look up at Rei. A crooked grin touched her features, and a very weak laugh left her lips. "I… I didn't die… that means… it worked… right?" Her voice was wheezy and obviously tired. Her grandmother shushed her gently, and gently picked the girl up in the palms of her hands.

"That's right. But you need time to recover, my dear. The training ahead will be hard." She made her way out of the basement, still lovingly cradling the little girl gently in her grip as she made her way upstairs into the girl's bedroom. It was of a typical Giant size, but the furniture within it was suited for her specifically, so that she could rest in bed without being swamped. Very tenderly, she was laid out on the bed, on her stomach, as not to agitate the raw wounds on her back.

"_I love you, Avery-nee." _

"_Sahahaha! Of course you belong somewhere! You're my family, and you always will be!" _

"_I think that you're strong! One day, when you grow up, you'll be stronger than anyone here! That'll show them, right, Avery-nee?" _

"_Oh, my dear, of course you are a real Giant. More so than everyone on this island, I feel. You may not have the height, but you have the heart. And that is so much more important than size can ever be." _

Avery closed her eyes slowly and smiled, looking to be truly at peace as her body relaxed visibly against the bed she rested on. Her grandmother watched the girl curiously, unable to help herself wishing that she knew what was going on inside the girl's mind. She wanted to know what had given her the will to fight through the pain as she had, and continue to be herself even after the excruciating treatment.

"I understand… baachan… and that's okay… I owe it to those I love… to give it my all…" Her voice was strong yet gentle in spite of her current state, but it was obvious after that point, she had drifted away into sleep. Her breathing slowed, and her body rose and fell gently while she rested. Something had soothed her otherwise insatiable rage that had flowed through her system during the procedure, and that something were the two people she held dear. Perhaps it was the last invocation of the heart that had given her that clarity.

Whatever the reason, it was fortuitous. Rei often worried that Avery was going to be consumed by her own hatred of the world, for the way it had treated her thus far, but she was glad to see that this wasn't the case. Her granddaughter had the capacity to love, and did so with all of her heart. The elderly woman smiled and turned to exit the room, pausing at the door to watch the sleeping girl before closing the door behind her.

'_With that kind of potential, power and willpower, there isn't much that you won't be able to achieve… Avery…' _

* * *

><p><strong>The Writer's End Notes: <strong>So ta da! I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter, with all of its many emotions and pain, primarily. I apologise if it was a little gruesome for some, but I wanted to depict the true horror of the procedure rather than sugar-coating it. I mean, it's pretty… intense. That aside, please leave me some feedback. I love to improve my writing, and I hope that it has indeed improved in this chapter from the review left to me by CSpacian. Much love to all of you, and stay tuned for the next chapter! The tid-bit for this chapter is information about Orrosta Rei!

* * *

><p>Name: Orrosta Rei<p>

Pronunciation: Oh-roh-stah R-ay

Epithet: "Natural Blondie"

Affiliation: Ex-Pirate

Bounty: 143,000,000 beli while at large

Age: 198 (Bearing in mind that Giants have a longer lifespan than humans, she is in her early elderly years)

Appearance: In her prime, Rei was a Giant who had her own brand of beauty. She was tall, standing at a proud 112ft, and somewhat slender as Giants went. She was still of a stocky breed, and therefore classed as very healthy. Her legs, primarily, showed great muscle toning, as she primarily focused on running and activities that involved kicking before she discovered her Life Force Art. She had bright blonde hair, that reached past her shoulder blades, and it was illustrious and curly. Her eyes were, and still are, a bright cyan blue. With age, however, notable things in her appearance started to change. Where she used to have muscle, it started to turn into fat, and she grew heavier than she would like. She shrunk two feet, and now stands at 110ft. Her hair has grown longer, and now swings about her waist when left down, and is still naturally curly, but it is now mostly streaked with grey. Her face has become wrinkled, but is still seen as kindly. She is often remarked upon as looking good for her age, and she always states that she is still young yet. According to her, her mother lived until she was over 400 years old. Typically, she can be seen wearing monstrous womanly clothes, like long sundresses, blouses and floor-length skirts and the like. She hates to admit it, because it identifies her as old, but she loves all shades of beige.

Personality: She has maintained a constant upbeat and vibrant personality throughout her life, ever since she was a small Giant growing up on the self-same island she now lives. Rei was always a jokester, and liked to play pranks on unsuspecting people, and while she has supposed to have aged past that point, she still succumbs to doing as much when she enters the city to buy groceries. She was, and still is, highly respected for her strength and the notoriety she had while she was a pirate, and many on the island refuse to trifle with her. While she seems like a nice old lady most of the time, she has the capacity to be entirely lethal and ruthless when she fights or her loved ones are put in danger (as seen rather comically when she pursues the Giant children who hurt Avery and broke her ribs). She is a very passionate person, and believes strongly in the power of people and their will. Having lived as a pirate for most of her adult life until she settled down to have children of her own, she is also a massive supporter of free will, and doing whatever it is you want in life even if it is not considered to be 'right' in the eyes of the law. She believes that a person's free will is to be respected, and she will never step in the way of anyone who has decided to die based on their own solid choice. Her own husband died because he wanted her and their child to live out a happy life without being pursued by the Marines, and she reluctantly allowed him to do so because it would be a disgrace to his will if she interfered. She is a very nurturing person, as seen with how much she feeds Avery and Calix on a daily basis to make sure that they get the correct vitamins and nutrition. Despite not being a doctor by trade, she is very knowledgeable of how to take care of wounded people, as shown by how she is the one to deal with Avery's wounds whenever she is beaten down by the Giant children. She is, without question, a true force to be reckoned with, and a true homemaker. She will not let anyone harm her family unless they insist to her otherwise, and she is often shown to dislike fulfilling wishes from her elusive son, Orrosta Griffith, but does as he tells her to anyway because it is what he wants.

Abilities/ Powers: As a Giant, Rei has the enhanced strength of her species, and she is not afraid to use it against those who threaten her family. While it can be noted that she was a strong pirate before she acquired her Life Force Art, she most definitely becomes even stronger after that point where she discovers the underlying potential. Following this discovery, she becomes a lot more focused around defensive and long-ranged attacks, in order to help those around her. Her official position on the crew she was part of, alongside her husband, was the Cook. As such, the food that she cooks (while it is in huge portions) possesses extra properties and balance of nutrition to give rise to a person's attacking capability, recovery speed from bad injuries, and so on and so forth. She is also a natural green thumb, and grows special plants that have fruits and vegetables with huge amounts of concentrated vitamins and the like which are central to all of her dishes.

Misc. Info: She is often seen reading the newspaper in day-to-day situations, and she likes to keep up to date with the happenings around the world to hopefully hear news of her son and his wife, but with no such luck. She has little to no organisational skills, and everything in her house holds a special memory of some sort. She refuses to throw a lot of things away, and her house can sometimes get quite messy before it is tidied by the children. This is probably where Avery started to appreciate being clean and tidy, because of how messy and unorganised her grandmother was.


	7. Avery's Origins: Part 4

**The Writer's Opening Notes: **Good afternoon to you all! I'm so sorry for the lack of updates, but University work and social life have hit me like a tonne of bricks all of a sudden since my last published update. I'm going to say that Thursday will be my day to update, and if I get extra chapters out before then, it'll be extra nice for you guys (hopefully). If I have a firm deadline in my head, I'll get chapters written.

Let's re-cap…

Last time, we bore witness to the intense procedure required for Avery to unlock her Life Force potential and start becoming learned in the art itself. We also got an insight into Rei, her loving grandmother, with the extra tid-bit of her OC profile popping up. We shall re-join the action two and half months later…

**I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE, **or any affiliated characters or creations. I do, however, own my OCs (such as Avery, Rei, and Calix). Now, enjoy!

* * *

><p>"<em>Don't ever live vicariously. This is your life. Live." – Lavinia Spalding <em>

* * *

><p>"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"<p>

A huge explosion, plus the aforementioned battle cry pierced through the otherwise still air around Rei's home out near the forest, and three towering trees were blown entirely from their roots before coming crashing down to the forest floor. The white-haired girl behind the attack was stood squarely, her left arm outstretched with the palm held out in the direction where the huge orb of bright light had ploughed through the trees.

Her grandmother smirked and chuckled to herself, shaking her head in a fond manner as she watched Avery slowly grin to herself and then start jumping up and down excitedly. _'Her training really is progressing at an amazing pace. All of that power… to think that she would be bestowed with it.' _She paused in her thoughts to turn and look up at the sky, a wistful smile touching her face. _'If only you could see, Griffith. If only you could see just how strong your daughter is.' _

"Nyehehehe!" The young girl laughed delightedly to herself, placing her hands on her hips and staring up at her grandmother, aiming to get the elder's attention. "Neh, baachan! Did you see that?!"

"I'd have to be blind if I didn't see it." Rei commented with a huge grin of her own, returning her attention to her granddaughter and laughing. "Shahahaha! You're getting stronger, kiddo! All of those bullies from before better watch out, eh?" Her grin softened into a smile as she watched the confident grin that Avery sported, and how she started to babble on about how she'd pummel those bastards into the ground.

"Yes, yes, they'll be running for their lives." The elderly woman chuckled and started to make shooing gestures with her hands, trying to get Avery to move. "Come on now, let's take a break and grab some lunch, hm?"

So the pair made their way back to their home, both waving at the figure of Calix out in the garden who had been watching the fruits of his older sister's training the entire time.

"Avery-nee! You really are the best! You're so strong!" He enthused happily to the snowy-haired girl when she strolled through the garden gate. Said girl sported a rather cocky grin from the moment she heard her brother's compliments, and she paused to lift her hand and inspect the back of it artfully.

"Well otouto, it's actually rather hard to become as strong as I am-…" Her words were cut off when she felt a foot connect with her backside and send her flying inside the house. Rei, who had launched the kick, pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed heavily.

"What have I done?... I've inflated her already huge ego to all new great sizes…" She mused to herself, ignoring the startled and baffled looks from Calix as he stood on the spot, completely and utterly shocked while he was trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"OUUUUUCH! BAACHAN, THAT HURT!" Came a disgruntled yell from inside the house, and some muttered curses. The elderly woman snapped yet again, and a red strain mark of sheer frustration and anger appeared on her forehead.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT SWEARING, YOUNG LADY?! YOU'LL STOP THAT RIGHT NOW!" She screeched, storming inside the house and glaring down at the snowy-haired girl who had only just managed to get to her feet after being booted inside. Avery gritted her teeth and shook her head stubbornly, folding her arms and turning her back on her grandmother.

"No! You can't make me! Besides, I mainly learnt those words from you!"

There was a brief, and very deadly silence that enveloped the kitchen at that point. Calix started to cower in the doorway as he watched Rei suddenly stand still, stopped in her tracks from the accusation. Of course, it was rather true that at times, she did curse like a sailor. She blamed the pirate crew she had travelled with for so many years. But had this kid ever heard of 'Do as I say, and not as I do'?

Alas not.

"… You learnt the words from me, eh?" As the elderly woman spoke, it was clear that her anger had boiled to the strange point of sheer coldness. And it was so much scarier than the almost comical fit of rage she had let loose earlier.

Avery gulped audibly and turned to stare up at her grandmother, unable to see the old woman's face because her greying locks were shadowing her features. Before she could take back her statement, she had narrowly dodged a monstrous frying pan being launched at her with terrifying pace and accuracy. She screamed and started to run, aiming to get away from her grandmother at all costs.

"GET BACK HERE! I TRAIN YOU FOR NEARLY THREE MONTHS AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?! YOU DESERVE A MAJOR HIDE TANNING, YOUNG LADY!"

* * *

><p>A few hours later, and the snowy-haired girl had a few lumps on her head and she was positively stuffed from the double portion of lamb steak that her grandmother forced her to eat. Sitting was also very uncomfortable, because Rei had indeed made good on her promise to 'tan her hide'.<p>

'_Just like her father when he was a kid…' _The elderly woman thought with a sigh, shaking her head in a fond manner as she leant on a kitchen counter watching Avery sulking at the dinner table. _'I'm getting way too old for this… raising Griffith was a challenge, and now I have to raise his double?' _

"Baachan, I'm finished… can I go outside and play?" The words of her granddaughter snapped her out of the pensive state she was in, and she briefly had to gather herself before registering what was said. A small smile touched the old woman's lips as she nodded.

"Yes, out you go. Burn off all that energy of yours." She shooed the girl with her hands playfully, and Avery didn't need any more urging. She leapt off her chair and zoomed straight out of the door, grinning insanely as she left the house to head down into the city. She had a thing or two to show those other Giant children…

"Baachan, can I go and play too?" Calix asked politely, pointing at all of the washing up he had done. He never meant to, but he always played himself off as the good child, the one that his grandmother could always rely on for being constant, sweet and generally a joy to raise. Rei chuckled and nodded, moving to start clearing everything away.

"Make sure that you and your sister are back before dark!" She called as the Giant child dashed out the door.

"Hai!"

* * *

><p>"Heh heh heh… what're you doing around here, pipsqueak? We haven't seen you for a long time now. Thought you'd chickened out after last time." The biggest Giant child mocked Avery, standing tall in front of her to try and intimidate her. But she didn't so much as flinch or back away. She stood just as firm, trying to make herself seem taller.<p>

"Cut the crap, Kurt. I wouldn't hide from wimps like you guys." Her tone was full of assured confidence that made the Giant kids start laughing. This happened every time. She would seek them out, square up to them, boast about how strong she was, and start to flee when she was beaten down too much. Or sometimes, just to mix things up, they would seek her out, taunt her until she fought back, and then chase her. Every time it always ended the same.

"If I were you, you little elf*, I'd turn around and run home before we actually squish you this time." One of the other Giant kids taunted, sneering at the little girl. That was it. That one jab was too much for Avery to stand. She started to see red, and she grunted loudly as she clenched her fists tight.

"Aw, look! She's getting all mad! Oh no, don't hurt us, oh mighty elf!" The ringleader, the one named Kurt, continued to fuel the fire, laughing hysterically at his own joke while they watched the little girl get angrier and angrier by the second.

'_I've tried, baachan… I've tried to see reason… but they just keep pushing me!' _She forcefully pushed her left leg back, and raised her left arm up in front of her, palm entirely flattened out like a blade as the Life Force energy started to course through her body in uncontrolled amounts. _'They see me as nothing more than dirt! So I have to do this!' _Silver energy imbued with a white hue started to surround her frame, flickering and dancing angrily like flames.

The eyes of her tormentors went wide as they watched the spectacle in front of them, unable to truly comprehend what was happening.

'_If I ever want to become a Giant, I have to be able to defeat one!' _With that final thought, she started charging straight at the group of Giant children. Using her momentum, she launched herself up high into the air, managing to come level with the waists of her oppressors. As she was suspended in mid-air, she whipped her body around so that she spun and her fists were now hurtling straight for them.

"Life Force Art…" Her voice was loud and booming, somehow managing to resonate from her small frame and echo around the entire area.

"Guys! Run!" Kurt yelled in a trembling voice, turning around and starting to flee. But he had been closest to the little girl, and wasn't getting away as easily as this. She was already upon him. He felt a heavy weight land on his back, and he stumbled to one knee, crying out as he did so.

Avery started to run up the main bully's back, leaping up into the air again when she reached his shoulder. From her vantage point, she had a perfect aim at the kid's face.

"SILVEEER DRIIIIIVE!" She bellowed, swinging her body around so that she flipped end over end three times in mid-air, before her left fist made a crushing impact with Kurt's cheek. For a moment, it seemed as if everything was at a stand-still in the world. All that remained was the fact that Avery's attack had connected, with deadly accuracy and force, and the other Giant children were staring in utter shock and disbelief.

The world snapped into motion again as the impact sent the boy hurtling five metres away while he cried out in pain. Avery allowed herself to drop rapidly from the height she had reached, gracefully landing cat-like on the ground just as Kurt crashed into his final destination; a nice big building that stopped his motion instantly.

"Wah… what was that?" One of the Giant children asked in whispered disbelief, his question not aimed at anyone in particular. His friends mumbled between themselves, trying to make sense of that insane show of strength from one so small, and they flinched when they saw the snowy-haired girl glare in their direction. One of her eyes, which had previously been crimson, was glowing bright silver, and light was pouring from her back as well. It made for a strangely scary sight.

"That is the power I'll use to become the strongest." She stated calmly, turning her head to face Kurt as he started to crawl out from the crater in the building that had been launched into.

From around the corner, hidden behind a house, Calix's breath caught in his throat. _'Avery-nee… she… did that to… him?' _He too was in disbelief. He had known that his older sister was strong with that newfound power of hers; he had witnessed the progression himself. But **that **was… something else.

"Ugh…" Kurt slowly got to his feet, his right hand slowly moving up to cradle his injured left cheek. He had never been hit that hard, and he had been trained by one of the greatest fighting masters in Elbaf. What on earth was that strange force he had felt? He realised that he was close to tears, and he sniffled slightly before shaking his head and hesitantly walking up to where Avery was stood.

"So you've come back for more, huh?" The girl took the self-same fighting stance as she had done before, looking rather menacing as her silver eye flashed angrily. Kurt shook his head vigorously and waved his hands in a placating gesture.

"N-No! I… want to apologise." He bowed his head and knelt down in front of the snowy-haired girl. His friends stared on in awe. Kurt never showed that weakness to **anyone**. And here he was, yielding to a dwarf girl? Even she looked surprised, and she slowly lowered her raised hand. The silver energy stopped flowing, and her eye returned to its earlier crimson hue while her back ceased to glow.

"To… apologise?" She asked, obviously bewildered by the concept. She had been expecting to fight and defeat every bully here, to assert her dominance. She **knew **these boys. They were nasty pieces of work, and required the aspect of fear to take anything seriously. She watched as Kurt nodded, keeping his head bowed all the while.

"The whole time, I knew what we were doing was wrong… but everyone else was doing it, so we didn't want to be left out. But everyone's got it wrong. You're super strong and powerful." He slowly raised his head and offered a small smile to the girl he was kneeling in front of. "I know that I'm speaking for the whole gang when I say this… you should join us."

Did she… just hear right? Kurt was extending an offer for her to join **them**?! This band of boys were the strongest children on Elbaf, each of them being trained by a legendary warrior so that they might one day take up governance of the island and be the most powerful Giants. If she was allowed to join… she too would be trained, and become the most powerful.

Because the girl was stunned speechless, Kurt decided to clear his throat and continue.

"We have an initiation though… and it's really hard. Super dangerous. Even we nearly died trying to fulfil it." He nodded, looking at his friends who also nodded firmly in agreement.

"Well, what is it? I'll do it! Anything!" She clenched her fists determinedly and looked up at the Giant boy, obviously desperate for this chance; this chance to fit in, and become recognised as more than just a defected child.

"You have to…" Kurt paused, flinching and shivering slightly as if the very thought were that terrifying. "Make it through the Forbidden Forest. There are all sorts of deadly creatures, poisonous plants… it usually spells death for anyone who enters. Once, there were more of us that would be trained by the legendary warriors, but they…" He grew silent, making it obvious what had happened to the other hopeful Giant children.

Without hesitation, Avery nodded, as if the story had not perturbed her one bit. All she was focused on was the end goal. "Wait for me. I'll be back soon." And with that, she was off; sprinting in the direction of the Forbidden Forest in all its deadly glory.

The Giant children stayed silent and motionless for a short while, until they were sure that Avery was entirely out of earshot, and slowly, Kurt started to smirk manically.

"That idiot elf… she fell for it…" He started to laugh, getting to his feet and rubbing his smarting cheek. That had **hurt**… it would be better for everyone on the island of that defected girl was dead, and what he had just done, would assure them of that much. There was no way anyone could survive in the Forbidden Forest, let alone a little girl.

Calix stood, horrified, and petrified as he witnessed the Giant children shaking hands, and patting one another on the backs. _'They just… sent Avery-nee off to die and… they're proud of it?' _He started to shake violently, with both anger and fear. He turned and looked in the direction where his sister had headed, before starting to sprint after her. _'I have to find her before it's too late… she can't die… not Avery-nee… I need to… I need to save her!' _

"AVEEEEEEERYYYYYYY!"

* * *

><p>* - Elf: In the One Piece universe, there is no such thing as Elves (that we have yet seen), so I have added them in as an extinct species. Elves roamed the world long before humans or Giants, and were peace-loving creatures that loved nature and everything about it. Slowly, they began to dwindle in numbers. All remaining Elves fled to Elbaf, their nature retreat, but evolution brought about the Giants and their smaller race was easily wiped out entirely. The reference to Avery being an elf, therefore, is highly offensive. Her name translates to 'Elf Ruler', which only encourages this insult further, and people often say that their parents named her as such because they were ashamed of her.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>The Writer's Ending Notes: <strong>DOOM! Cliff-hanger for you! Hopefully you're all enjoying this flashback arc as much as I enjoy writing it. I do love how Avery used to be when she was a child, so cheeky, cocky and funny. Anyway my lovelies, please keep in good health between now and when the next chapter is released! Look out for it next Thursday, or before then! For an extra treat, here's Calix's OC profile;

* * *

><p>Name: Orrosta Calix<p>

Pronunciation: Oh-roh-stah Ca-lix

Epithet: N/A

Affiliation: N/A

Age: 5 (Giant children can develop very quickly, hence his maturity at such a young age)

Appearance: Calix is the perfect example of a healthy Giant child at his age, and his growth actually exceeds regular circumstances. He stands at 46ft, which is the average height of a ten-year-old Giant child. Like the other Giants in his family, he has human proportions as opposed to everything being exaggerated like much of their race. He has a shaggy head of bright blonde hair that reaches past his ears, and he is often told that he is the spitting image of his father, Orrosta Griffith. His eyes are the characteristic cyan colour that he shares with his grandmother and his father, and they are large (due to his young years), as well as very expressive. He both looks and acts older than his young years, and most would place him to be around ten, or older in Giant years. Typically, he is seen wearing a white and blue striped t-shirt, over which he wears dark blue denim dungarees with a pocket on the front. In cold weather, he sports a large wooly jumper over his regular attire. On his feet, he wears a pair of ungainly brown walking boots, no matter the situation. His favourite colour, without a doubt, is blue.

Personality: As mentioned previously, Calix acts a lot older than he actually is. He constantly worries about his family, and cares for them deeply, especially his older sister. He truly respects Avery's inner strength, and wants to help her as much as he can. Little does he know that this actually degrades her self-confidence, because she is demeaned to getting help from her younger sibling. He is a very conscientious youth, and always wants to try and make other people happy so that they do not have to suffer sadness. At this point in time, his ideals are yet sketchy, but he knows that he wants to grow up alongside his sister and help her in any way she allows him. He can be rather shy around new people, and often hides away when he visits the city, because he has issues dealing with large crowds of people. He is very curious about a lot of things in life, and one day wishes to discover everything he can about the world away from his home island. He is a bookworm at heart, and loves to read, especially books about history or past events from Elbaf. He is well-versed in numerous fairy tales, and loves to share them with his sister because he knows that she loves to hear them.

Abilities/ Powers: Despite his young age, Calix has already shown promise of being extremely strong and durable, even more so than most. Oftentimes, he uses his body as a shield to protect his older sister, and is never seen to buckle under the stress of up to four Giants attacking his back at once. He also possesses an above average intelligence for his age, what with all of the reading he has been doing (under the tutelage of his grandmother).

Misc. Info: Like everyone else in his family (of the Orrosta genes), he has an old name that is very unique and has a specific meaning. His name literally means 'Chalice', and harkens to royalty. His grandmother's name means 'My companion', and has a strong linkage to travel and adventure (while she is not related to the Orrosta family by blood, due to marrying, she is an example of someone with a name that has deeper meanings). His father's name harkens to the mythical Griffin, and means 'Lord'.


End file.
